


it's a love that just won't last

by ka_na_ri_ya



Category: SBFIVE (Band)
Genre: Friendship/Love, Gen, Love Potion/Spell, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-09
Updated: 2020-11-09
Packaged: 2021-03-09 08:46:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 30,644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27468178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ka_na_ri_ya/pseuds/ka_na_ri_ya
Summary: "There are roses surrounding you. Pink roses," Kimmon says in a serious tone, "I think I'm having a stroke.""That's not how a stroke works," Copter mutters and creeps away a little.
Relationships: Copter Panuwat Kerdthongtavee/Kimmon Varodom Khemmonta
Comments: 4
Kudos: 11





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> disclaimer: this is a work of complete fiction. no offense is intended and does not reflect the real life people who are mentioned here. the only thing I own from this work are my words and the plot.

It happens on a Tuesday afternoon.

Earlier, Kimmon and Copter were sent to a mall event to celebrate the opening for some flagship store -- though to be honest, Copter's not even sure if it was for an opening. It was their third mall appearance together that week and it all melted together in his head as a giant blob of performances and duties. As much as Copter loved performing, it could get a bit dull and repetitive singing the same old tune and routine.

After the usual fan service, they were sent back to the studio for dance rehearsals. With all the extra time they had, they opted out to go to the break room, waiting for the choreographer and the rest of their band mates to show up. It's just the two of them in here, which is a rare occurrence and normally filled with hustle and bustle of people, but Copter's not complaining. The quiet is nice sometimes and he needs it after the chaos of the mall at today's event.

He's going through his tablet, one headphone against his ear and trying to work out some melody for a new song that he's been itching to write. The beat had been in his head all morning that stemmed from watching Kimmon incessantly tap his fingers along the headrest in front of them when they were being driven to the mall. Kimmon always seems to be running on some kind of power unknown to man with how over-enthused he was acting that early morning. Copter had ended up dozing off, only to wake up to his head slumped on Kimmon's shoulder, and Kimmon teased that Copter had to pay rent for sleeping on him.

Beside him, Kimmon sifts through the few presents he received from fans at the event, ooh-ing and aah-ing over them and showing them off to Copter in excitement. "O! Look at this," he holds out a pink cellophane wrapped gift, "Isn't this pretty? It looks like candy or something," he peers through the wrapping trying to see through it. He pulls on the string that ties it all up causing the wrapper to fall apart and sitting in the middle of it is a small jar filled with orange and green star shaped candy. It looks homemade and Copter's always impressed by how devoted their fans are.

Kimmon pops the lid open and takes out a small piece, "Want one?" It looks like soft jelly covered in some kind of sugar.

"Nah, I'm good," Copter murmurs, focusing back on his tablet and swipes a finger across the screen.

All of the sudden, he sees a bright flash of pink in his periphery. He whips his head towards Kimmon, who's still chewing on the candy and making small sounds of appreciation, unfazed by what happened. As if he didn't notice the pink flash.

He most likely didn't.

There's a myriad of reasons for something like that to occur, but it all points to magic and he curses in his head that his mother is not in the room with them. Copter puts his tablet and headphones to the side, "Kimmon. Give me that jar," he says in a slow and steady voice.

Kimmon warily stares at him and plops another piece into his mouth _,_ " _Kimmon!"_

"What, no. Why?"

Copter leaps onto Kimmon trying to pry his jaw open with his hands. Kimmon squawks, pushing a rough palm against Copter's chin, "Dude, what the friggin' hell? You know there are no fans here right?"

" _O my fu-"_

"Are you two ok?" some intern peeks her head into the room with a questioning look on her face. Copter jumps back and he knows right now the image they present is less than innocent. He sends a glare to Kimmon, who waves at her all casual from where he still lies on the couch.

"It's fine, it's all good. Nothing going on here," Copter says to her in a cheery voice and tries to shoo the intern away. She looks at them with suspicious eyes before shrugging and turning from the door. Once he's sure her footsteps are far enough, he turns back towards him, "Spit that out," he hisses.

Kimmon swallows the candy and Copter watches his Adam's apple bob up and down in shock, "Whoops," he adds another piece of jelly into his mouth, eyebrows raised as if daring Copter to grab for the piece on his tongue and Copter's so stunned, he doesn't move for a few seconds.

"Fuck," Copter gets out his phone, to contact his mother, "Swear to god Kimmon."

He hears a scoff coming from Kimmon's direction and mimicking Copter under his breath. When Copter looks over ready to scold him, he's _eating another fucking piece_ , "Kimmon! I just told you not to eat that!"

"Mmm...but did you? Technically, you told me to spit it out."

Fuck.

He dials for his mother's number.

It feels like forever as the ringtone goes through. He sees Kimmon reaching into the jar with his long fingers, eating the next piece of candy. Copter jumps forward again, trying to make a grab for the jar, but Kimmon's long arms push it out of Copter's reach as he stands up. It's so _fucking_ unfair, he hates it when Kimmon uses his height to his advantage and stands on the couch to get at it. But with the soft cushioning, his feet sink and Kimmon guffaws at his attempts, "Kimmon! Fu-"

"Copter?"

"Mom!" Copter's so flustered and is at a loss for words for a moment. He sits back down and kicks at Kimmon's shin, indicating to him to follow suit. He begrudgingly does so, "Mom, can you come back down here please please _please_. We're still in the room you left us in. It's an emergency."

"What?" she asks in an alarmed tone and he can hear her rustling around, "What's happening?"

"It's a..." he covers his mouth so Kimmon wouldn't see and drops his tone to a whisper, "magical emergency."

"I'm on my way. I need to get to the elevator. Who is it?" she continues on. She's quite calm about it, the opposite of what Copter is heading towards and he rubs at his forehead, feeling the tension building up.

"Kimmon."

"Is he acting any different?"

Copter looks over at him. Kimmon's still eating the candy, chewing on it in a blasé manner and scrolling through his phone. He wants to swear out loud, but his mother will scold him and then Kimmon will tease him all over again about him being a baby and _nope_. So he shoves Kimmon's leg with a hand and Kimmon shoves him right back, "No, not from what I can see. I'll tell you more when you get here."

"Alright, just keep watch of him. I'll see you."

Murmuring a quiet goodbye, he ends the call and sends a glare over at him, "You're really that determined to keep eating that huh."

"You haven't given me a good reason not to. It's so fucking delicious Copter, I think if you try it, you'll get it. It's strawberry flavored hmm...I'm still not sure," Kimmon holds a piece out, "It's good," he sing-songs, waggling the piece in Copter's direction.

"No thanks, I'm on a no sugar diet."

"You're drinking bubble tea right now," he points at the aforementioned drink on the table next to Copter.

"It's...hmm...it's got no sugar."

"Buddy, I was there when you told the guy to leave it at a 100 percent."

"Kimmon, can you just shut the _fuck_ up, holy shit!" Copter snaps, his voice rising, as he glares over at him. There are times when Copter appreciates how observant Kimmon is of him.

This is not one of them.

Kimmon flinches and a look of hurt flashes in his eyes. Copter is hit with a sudden sense of guilt. It's the first time he's snapped in such a harsh way towards Kimmon and the guilt bubbles up in his throat, burning acid along it, "I-- Kimmon, shit..." he shakily breathes out, pulling at his hair and stares back at him, mouth opening and closing like a fish.

Kimmon's wounded look turns into one of worry and he sits up, "Ok. What's going on? Is everything alright?" he leans in close and cups Copter's hand into it, his fingers closing around them, "Something on your mind? Did something upsetting happen at the event today? Someone hurt you? You know you can always tell me ok?"

"It's fine," Copter's voice is stretched out thin and he wonders where his mother is, "Everything's fine."

"Hm..." he pets at Copter's hand one last time before drawing it back, "Ok, if you say so. I'll drop it for now."

Copter stares at the ground, trying to make sense of what to do because he hasn't dealt with this in a long awhile. In his periphery, he sees Kimmon bring another piece towards his mouth and with quick reflexes, Copter slaps it out of his hand. An ugly squawk comes out of his mouth and the jelly lands on the crotch of his pants. Without thinking, Copter reaches down to swipe it off.

" _Copter!_ " Kimmon screeches, sounding scandalized, "That's my _dick_."

"You--"

"Copter!" his mother exclaims, running into the room and after making sure nobody is around, shuts the door. She walks towards the two of them with haste and looks a little harried, placing her bag on one of the empty tables in the room, "Tell me what happ-- what are you two doing?"

"I--"

Kimmon lets out a dramatic cry and scoots away from Copter, curling into the side of the couch. Copter rolls his eyes at his histrionics, "Copter's being so weird today!"

His mother stands there, a wary look in her eyes, "Copter, are you alright?"

"I am! I'm fine! Look at what Kimmon's been eating!" he points at the incriminating jar in Kimmon's hand. She comes up to stand in front of him, a stern look on her face, "Kimmon, give me that," holding her hand out.

He automatically hands it over, no questions asked. Copter levels an unimpressed stare at him and goes over to stand next to her, both looking into the open jar.

"What happened when he ate it?" she whispers, squishing the jelly candy between her fingers and inspecting it.

"A pink flash of light."

"Did you see anything else? Any weird smells?"

"No. Nothing. Just that."

"Where did Kimmon get this from?"

"A fan at today's event I'm guessing," Copter says, "But our fans have never done this before and I don't know who would do this. I wasn't near him when we were taking pictures with the fans, so I can't pinpoint it."

"Copter," there's an underlying tremor in Kimmon's voice, "Why are you sparkling?"

They both turn back to look at him, still curled up in the corner of the couch and staring at Copter with wide eyes. He looks like he's seen a ghost, hand clutching the cushion underneath him.

"What?"

"You're...shiny. Like everywhere? What the-- is there something wrong with me?" Kimmon starts to panic and looks over at Copter's mother, "Wait no, you're normal," he turns back to Copter, "Copter I think there's something wrong with you," he puts his hand over his mouth and lets out a gasp, "Do you have a skin condition none of us know about? Are you ill? Have you been sick all this time? Are you dying?" he babbles at a rapid pace and Copter can tell his panic is growing.

"Kimmon, Kimmon," Copter holds out a placating hand and he quiets, "I'm fine. Not dying anytime soon."

His mother steps forward, leaning down to put a hand on Kimmon's shoulder and peers down at him.

"How are you feeling right now?"

"I'm good?" he says with hesitancy. His eyes look bigger than usual and he looks both innocent and young as he keeps his gaze on Copter.

"Does your body feel any different at the moment?"

"What-- no. Other than Copter sparkling like a disco ball. Wait, do you see the sparkles around him?"

"No I don't," she straightens up to turn towards Copter with a grim look, "Copter, you're right. I think it's magic."

Kimmon's mouth drops, "What?"

Copter sighs and takes the next few steps to sit next to Kimmon on the couch. Kimmon's whipping his head back and forth between Copter and his mother in a state of confusion. It's been a while since Copter revealed his family background to anyone and it was the one time he's done it. It wasn't fun and his friend thought he was a liar. To which he never understood because people were fine with shamanism and animism to hope for things to happen or curses to end, but o no. Real magic and spells means he's crazy. He glances at his mother, who encouragingly nods at him to continue.

"The candy you've been eating. We think it cursed you."

Kimmon brings his hands up to his mouth and then gasps. He glances at the jar of candy that Copter's mother is still holding, "O my god. I ate like ten of those."

"Yea."

"Why didn't you say so?" Kimmon's voice raises into a squeak.

"I tried!"

"Uh no, you didn't," he points out, "You just yelled at me to not eat it without reason."

Copter throws his hands in the air.

"O my god, what's going to happen to me?" Kimmon panics, "I don't feel any ch-- o god. Is it the sparkles?"

"Probably."

"I need to go to the temple then," he starts to push himself up from the sofa.

"Wait, I don't think that will help you," Copter holds a hand out, pushing him back to sit.

"Why not?"

"It's not...that kind of magic."

He frowns, "What do you mean?"

"Magic's real, Kimmon."

"Ok?" and Copter knows he's not getting it.

"No, I mean -- magic, not that abstract kind of magic you believe in," Copter emphasizes, "Like _Harry Potter_ magic."

Kimmon stares open-mouthed for a bit, his eyes wide.

"What the _fuck_?" he blurts out, the disbelief clear in his voice, and Copter winces.

"Kimmon!" Copter's mother chastises.

"I'm sorry. I must have heard you wrong," he shuts his eyes and slaps his ears, "I thought you just said magic's real."

"Yes it is," Copter slowly says, hoping his words are getting through, "And my family kind of practices it."

Kimmon flits his eyes between the both of them, quiet for a moment. He stands up.

"Kimmon?"

"No offense Copter, but you sound bonkers," he walks towards the entrance of the room, "I need a break from staring at you, my eyes hurt," and leaves, but not before saying goodbye to Copter's mother.

Copter rolls his eyes, a part of him a little hurt, but mostly annoyed. He didn't know what else to expect even if a part of him thought Kimmon would react differently. He had thought-- well it doesn't matter. He turns to his mother exasperated, " _Now_ what?"

She hums for a moment, "I'm going to go home first and pull out my spell books. I think I have an idea of what it is though. But whatever he ate is slow acting, so it makes me unsure. You're right that he's not acting any different other than seeing sparkles."

"What do you think it is?"

She looks perturbed as she holds the jar before her and glances at Copter, "I think it's a love spell."

\--

Kimmon wouldn't stop staring at Copter during dance rehearsals.

Copter's used to his occasional staring, but this time it's pissing him off because Kimmon would. Not. Stop. And also because of how Kimmon reacted earlier to Copter telling him about the magic. He had stumbled throughout the dance routine causing the choreographer to scold him multiple times. Copter thought the staring would end, but Kimmon kept glancing over, his brow furrowed in confusion.

His mother told him to go on as normal and to keep a sharp eye on Kimmon. She took home with her the candy jar and Kimmon didn't put up a protest. So far, it's only been Kimmon staring at him and it hasn't progressed to anything worse, so Copter's not sure if that's a good or bad thing so far.

Copter's sitting against the wall now, on a break from learning the choreography. He's chugging out of his water bottle, attempting to wipe away his sweat. As he watches his reflection in the mirror across the room, he sees Kimmon's reflection slide up right next to him. He leans in close, his nose nearly touching Copter's cheek and Copter can feel the damp warmth of his breath.

"There are roses surrounding you. Pink roses," Kimmon says in a serious tone, "I think I'm having a stroke."

"That's not how a stroke works," Copter mutters and creeps away a little. He attempts to remember the lessons he learned about love spells and if seeing roses was part of the progression of the enchantment. Nothing comes to mind, but it's not as if he remembers.

"Are you sure it's not you with the issue? You're shining brighter than an hour ago. It's blinding and distracting me from my dancing."

"Dumbass, I told you I don't have anything," Copter hisses back in low, hushed tones, "Who told you to keep staring at me during practice? And do you hear anybody else saying anything?"

"No, but your explanation is ridi--"

"Yo, guys," Bas comes to stand in front of them. Tee and Tae are standing nearby, curious looks on their faces, "Is there a reason why you two lovebirds are sitting over there not inviting us into the conversation?" he teases.

"Copter's _shiny_ ," Kimmon pouts and Copter wants to slap him and all of them also to be honest. Tae, Tee and Bas all glance at each other, looking confused at Kimmon's strange comment. Copter tries hard to maintain an apathetic expression.

Tee coughs.

"Um. Copter, your hair does look very nice today. Did you use a different conditioner last night?" he asks.

"No I didn't, but thanks for the compliment," he turns towards the man currently giving him a headache, "Hey, I'm gonna need you to shut it about the sparkles right now."

He lets out a whine, leaning in closer, "Why are you always so nice to Tee, but not _me_?"

Copter shoves him away.

\--

Copter speaks to his mother right after rehearsals are over letting her know about Kimmon's progression to seeing roses. She mulls over it for a few minutes and he can hear pages being flipped from her side, while Copter watches Kimmon and his antics with Bas. They're jumping and dancing around the room, flailing their arms, while Tee records them, his laughter filling up their yelling. Tae had already left first, mentioning something about plumbing issues in his apartment.

"Has he mentioned anyone that may be on his mind? That he's infatuated with?"

Copter squirms, "No. Other than the roses, nothing else yet. Do you think that's a clue?"

"I don't think I've heard of a love spell this slow acting and I haven't found anything like it in my books so far. Usually those affected are instantly in love after they're hit with the love spells," she hums.

"Maybe it's not a love spell?"

"I don't know what else it could be if this came from a fan. Why else would a fan give him a present like this? To curse him with bad luck?"

"But we don't know if it's a fan though, it could be anybody," he rubs his head, feeling a headache coming on at how complex this is getting.

"Keep watch of him in the meantime, Copter."

"What? It's the end of the day!"

"Copter, we don't know what exactly this fan put in and how severe it could get."

"But you don't even know if it's a love spell," he grumbles, "Maybe he does just need to go to the doctor," Copter doesn't fully believe what he's saying, but it's daunting to think of any of the magical possibilities that could be causing this.

" _Copter_ ," her voice firm and leaving no room for argument.

He sighs, scratching the back of his head, "Have you asked Natty and View for their opinion yet?"

"Not yet, they're on their way back from work."

"Alright. I'll hang out with him a bit more then," Copter says, hearing a loud peal of laughter coming from Kimmon. He detaches from the wall he's standing against to look at Kimmon. His head is tilted back in exuberant glee as Tee is showing him something on his phone. He looks so radiant and Copter can't help but smile a little.

"He seems to be doing alright huh," his mother muses, clearly able to hear Kimmon.

"Almost like there's nothing wrong with him."

"Copter," she scolds, "Let me know if anything else changes."

They say their goodbyes and Copter stands there for a moment trying to think of a way to get Kimmon to leave with him without it being out of the blue, but dire circumstances and all. He's not the most quick thinking when it comes to his words, so with a deep breath, he grabs his bag and turns around.

"Hey, Kimmon. You're taking me home," Copter demands as he walks into the room, hoping the tone in his voice bore no room for argument.

Kimmon looks startled from where he's sitting, zipping up his bag, "Why?"

"O _hooo_ ," Bas and Tee cackle.

"Do _not_ start with me," Copter snaps at them and turns back towards Kimmon, "My mom left me and maybe we should get dinner or something. I'm hungry," Copter stumbles through it, trying to think of an excuse to watch him longer. It's not the best, but he figures it's a good excuse since they did sometimes go out to eat -- just not this late and alone together without his mother.

Kimmon stands up to his full height in a fluid motion. There's a rather contemplative expression on his face as he stares down at Copter, who sort of wants to snap and ask what he's looking at, "Dinner huh? Guess this is our time to shine now. Knew you always wanted me," he says with a sniff, hands on his hips.

He looks so fucking stupid, _god_. Copter just want to--

"O are we not invited to this dinner?" Bas asks with a sly tone. Tee is leaning against him, batting his eyelashes at Copter. He looks up at the ceiling and counts to ten, praying for patience.

"Well I've always wanted to see your place. Since you've never invited me over," Kimmon looks a little miffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Whatever man. You drove here yea?"

"Uh huh."

"Great, let's go," Copter rushes out of the building. Kimmon lets out a noise of surprise and makes a clamor as he runs out after him. Copter can hear the fading yells from Bas and Tee telling them to have fun.


	2. Chapter 2

Kimmon's concerned about Copter.

Like a mother is when her kid goes off to university and never phones home, unless they need money or are in some deep shit kind of worry.

He's acting sulkier than normal. Usually he's on LEVEL 0 (NO SULK), but right now he's on at least a LEVEL 6 and over, to which Kimmon would leave him alone when he gets this way. The one time Kimmon attempted to cheer Copter up when he was in that state, he told Kimmon to leave him alone and Kimmon felt like a dog that got scolded, tail down and all. It was a bit of a stab to his ego and his heart, even though Copter tried to be polite about it. It was then and there he developed "THE LEVELS OF SULK", capital letters and all, to be able to figure out how to stay away and cheer him up. LEVELS 1 through 4 were doable stages where Kimmon would do everything he can to bring a smile to Copter's face, but anything after that he knew Copter was at his limit and it was best to wait it out.

Kimmon has mused over on making a mini pamphlet and to give it to the rest of the group, but he thinks Copter wouldn't be too impressed with it.

So with Copter on at least LEVEL 6 and over, Kimmon would stay away until he thinks Copter is more approachable.

But they're in his car, trapped inside, and Kimmon can't handle the tension. Copter's staring at him with a quiet intensity and Kimmon feels small. He doesn't think his heart can handle all of this; he just wants Copter back to normal and to smile again.

On top of it all, Copter's still _shiny_.

Fucking radiant.

Feeling a little agitated and maybe with a bit of anxiety too, Kimmon flips on the radio and a perky pop song booms over the speakers. Copter jumps at the suddenness of it and Kimmon lowers the volume, murmuring an apology for the loudness. He likes to belt out power love ballads when he drives to work with the volume at an all time high and tends to forget to lower it.

Kimmon swears it's the best way to sing in a car.

Probably not the best time for it though.

He taps his fingers against the steering wheel to the beat of the jaunty tempo and starts to bob his head along to it. From his periphery, he can see Copter shaking his head a bit, a slight smile on his mouth, and a burst of adrenaline goes through Kimmon. _Hell yea_. He starts to shimmy his shoulders and snaps his fingers to the beat, letting out some _paapaapaas_ before belting along to the chorus in the most obnoxious way possible in the hopes that it would make Copter laugh.

Copter chuckles and he's attempting to cover his mouth, turning away from Kimmon to face the window.

"Copter, come on. Join me. Come on, come on," he slaps a hand against Copter's shoulder and starts belting out again. He bites his bottom lip as Kimmon starts crooning to him the lyrics of love that fly out of the radio and bursts out laughing when Kimmon reaches over to tickle under his chin. 

Kimmon wants to preen like a peacock. Finally.

"Stop!" Copter's laughter spills out of him as he attempts to push Kimmon's hand away. Kimmon stops his car when it reaches a red light and his mouth curves into a grin as he looks over at Copter.

The sparkles surrounding Copter are brighter than ever, as if pulsing along with his smile and laughter. Kimmon swears the roses are pinker than ever, making Copter's face have a slight tinge of pink and he glows _._

It's distracting.

"Ah, there it is."

Copter looks over at him with curious eyes, his smile still gracing his face, "What is?"

"Your smile. Missed seeing that today."

"Bleh," but he looks back at Kimmon with a small smile, his dimple popping. He's too cute. Sometimes the fondness in Kimmon feels overwhelming when Copter makes that face.

Kimmon lowers the volume, the silence leeching back into the car. He decides to bite the bullet, "I know there's something going on. You know you could talk to me about anything right?" he says, "Whatever is going through your mind."

"O yea, I'm definitely going to talk to you when you called me 'bonkers' earlier," Copter mutters as he crosses his arms over his chest. Kimmon can sense the unhappiness radiating from him and the pink glow seems to dim.

He lets go of the brake as soon as the light turns green, driving a little slower as he starts the car again and trying to process what Copter is saying, "You were actually serious about all that magic stuff?"

"Yea."

Kimmon's not sure how to approach this. It's not everyday that you hear that magic is real. He's still skeptical, but it's not like he could say that again because the disappointment coming from Copter isn't something he likes to deal with.

"Um ok. Listen," he chews on his bottom lip, making a quick turn of the steering wheel with one hand, "Look, I'm sorry I called you crazy. That wasn't on. I shouldn't have said it like that. But you understand where I'm coming from, yea? It's so different from what I believe in."

He can see Copter shrugging from his peripheral view, "Hmm then, I'm sorry for snapping at you earlier. That was disrespectful of me."

Copter doesn't say anything else, nothing in response to what Kimmon just said. All he does is turn away to face out the window and Kimmon feels like he's floundering in this situation as the silence grows between them. It continues to yawn and expand, the street lights slicing orange through the window onto the dashboard as he drives. His fingers are itching to turn the radio volume back up, but instead he taps his nails against the plastic, "Um...so..." he clears his throat and clicks his tongue against his teeth, "Humm. You said it was like Harry Potter. You have a wand?"

There's a snort, "It's not with wands or anything."

"How am I supposed to know? You said it was like Harry Potter!"

"I just said that to-- you know! Make you see magic is real!"

"....it doesn't."

"Fine, bad analogy. But we use it with you know...herbs and stuff. Throw it in a bowl. Maybe a candle and then say some incantation. At least that's what my family focuses on. There are other people who perform more powerful magic, but my family never really involved themselves with it. We're very simple with ours," Copter sighs, "How could you not think it's real when you're seeing sparkles and roses?"

"Maybe it's my brain. Maybe it's a tumor."

"Kimmon. You'd rather it be a brain tumor than magic?" Copter flatly asks.

He has a point.

Kimmon hums, pondering over what to say, "Do you still practice it?"

"Not really. I used to dabble in it, but I didn't care much for it. My aunts run a small shop up north. Regular people mostly go there to get crystals and stuff to decorate or whatever. Or get basic things, like wishing to make someone love them with a paper charm that never works as well as they want. But people who know, like _know know_ they come in for ingredients to cast spells. I'm out of practice though and my sisters, sort of. My mom would sometimes cast these protection bracelets for me when I went to school, but she hasn't done it in a while either. And I was more focused on singing and dancing rather than sitting through lessons on changing the weather."

"Wait, that's cool though. What the hell Copter. Sounds way more fun than the shit I did when I ditched school."

"It's not. I never was able to make it rain to skip going outside to the woods to collect flowers for spells."

"Sounds more like a _you_ problem."

Copter socks Kimmon in the shoulder, "Hey! I'm driving!" he rubs his shoulder, sending a petulant look over towards Copter, who shrugs and leans against the window.

"I've got an important question for you."

"O?"

"Yes. Very. Now, be honest with me," Kimmon clicks on the turn signal, changing to the next lane over, "Did you ever learn how to cast a spell when you didn't like someone?"

"...Yes."

Kimmon gasps and shoves a hand to Copter's shoulder, "Tell me!"

"It really wasn't that interesting, trust me. The most I did was make my asshole of a classmate sneeze all day and my mom gave me a walloping when she figured it out. It's not good to put so much negativity out there you know? They do exist, but I never learned it," Copter harrumphs, "He _totally_ deserved it though."

"What'd he do?"

Copter mumbles something.

"I'm sorry, what was that?"

"Ugh," he groans into his hands, "We fought over the basketball."

"...Right."

"I took it first! That little shit kept insisting he grabbed it before I did," he exclaims, a bit irate and sits back in his seat in a huff, "I used to imagine the ponies from that one cartoon running him over."

"Copter. Dude."

"Now you know my darkest secret."

"Interesting," Kimmon quips. He hums as he thinks of what to say, "I thought magic would be more flashy and less," he waves a hand trying to figure out the word, "Earthy, I guess."

"It can be. The candy you ate for one."

"Uh, it is?"

"Seeing pink roses is kind of a heavy magic. My mom says she thinks it's a love potion," Copter sounds grave.

Kimmon rubs a finger along the groove in the steering wheel as he thinks over what Copter just said. He can't imagine any fan he's met in the years he's been in the industry going to these lengths and wonders if he should go to the temple to take care of this after all. Once in a while, he's received some over the top gifts that involved human parts before but a love spell is something else because of how inconspicuous the gift was. He feels a little skeeved out and doesn't like how this is out of his control, "Um. Ha. Why would anyone do that? That's so..." he trails off.

"Obsession? I don't know. But if there's a fan who wants you to fall in love with them using magic, then that's concerning and I don't like it." Kimmon's car stops at the red light and he turns to look at Copter, who is staring back at him. The red light from the car in front of them glows on his face, highlighting his sharp cheekbones and the fierceness in his eyes makes something lightly flutters in Kimmon's chest. He looks...

Huh.

Kimmon gulps.

"I'm going to make sure you get back to normal though," Copter says with determination, "Don't you worry about that."

"Ok."

\--

Dinner is pretty normal. They've decided on sharing a dish of noodles together, Copter stating that he's still a little full from his late lunch earlier. This works fine to Kimmon since he isn't feeling so hungry either and he doesn't mind sharing. It's always cute to see Copter attempting to split the dish and make sure it's even, though sometimes Copter would sneak in a little more on Kimmon's plate.

Copter's still sparkling and the pink roses sit behind him, but Kimmon's gotten kind of used to it. The roses seem to pulse with Copter's mood. When he looks over at Kimmon unimpressed, the roses dull a bit, but when he smiles and laughs the roses glow. He almost drops his glass of water when Copter cackles over a video he's watching on his phone; the sparkles around him gleam even brighter than ever.

He looks really pretty.

Like _really really really_ pretty.

He's said Copter's beautiful, even to his face before, so this isn't a surprise or anything. But the glow seems to enhance it and it doesn't help how his blond hair accentuate his cheekbones and his dimples and this fucking glow intensifies his features even more. Copter turns his phone towards Kimmon, "Hey man. Watch this," his smile widens as he looks up, "This is hilarious."

Kimmon chugs his water, feeling a bit parched all of the sudden, then asks a passing waiter for another glass of water.

It's later when Kimmon's sucking a long noodle into his mouth, that a thought comes to him, "Hey. So does anyone at work know about your magic?"

Copter glances around, but he didn't need to worry -- they were secluded after all, "Uh. No. Just you. Never felt the need to."

"Huh. You know you don't have to worry right? I'm sure there would be people who would be open to it."

"I dunno about that," Copter mutters and gives him a look.

"Ok, well we can admit that I'm an asshole," Kimmon concedes. Copter laughs into his bowl and Kimmon smiles as he watches the roses twinkle around him, "But you know, just because your magic doesn't involve going to a monk--"

"I lost a close friend after I told him. He thought I was crazy," he doesn't elaborate but the unhappy look on his face says enough.

"Ah," Kimmon bites his lower lip, "Well, I won't leave you. I might have right after you told me, but I wouldn't break off our friendship like that. Your friend was an idiot for leaving."

"Hmm, good to know," Copter gives him a small smile, but Kimmon knows he's pleased.

After they finish up their shared meal, Copter insists on paying for dinner, mentioning that it was his idea. They bicker over it for some time, until Kimmon relents when Copter points out that Kimmon's driving him home, "It's the least I can do, _please._ "

Copter is ridiculously hard to say no to when he's determined.

Kimmon can't stop staring at him when Copter's at the cash register making his payment. It's cute how he sticks a little bit of his tongue out as he counts his bills and the smile he gives to the waiter is so charming. He should be looking at Kimmon like that all the freaking time, not anyone else -- that's so unfair, what the hell? Kimmon wants to whisk him away from the man and to hold him close in his arms and then lean down to--

"You ready to go?" Copter asks, a reserved smile on his face as he stares down at Kimmon.

Kimmon blinks in surprise, interrupted from his dream. How the heck did Copter get here so fast?

"Um, y-yea. Yea I am. I'll take you home now?"

"Yea," Copter reaches over to grab his bag that's hanging over his chair, "Has anything changed for you?"

"O um. No. You're still sparkly as ever," Kimmon says, following suit by grabbing for his bag and stands up.

Copter nods, "I guess that's good. Are you feeling anything else?" he asks, looking at Kimmon with concern. Kimmon wants to coo at how adorable that is and pinch those cheeks between his fingers.

But Copter would either slap them away. Or begrudgingly let him.

It could go either way.

Instead, he pats around his chest in an exaggerated manner, humming to himself, "I don't think I grew any extra organs in the process yet," Copter snorts and pushes Kimmon out the restaurant.

It's when he parks his car in front of Copter's _fucking gigantic_ home, that something does change.

Kimmon lets out a long whistle, impressed at the sheer size of the houses they pass by compared to his own home. The gated community is clean, lined with well trimmed trees on the sidewalks and pristine gates and fences. There's even an extravagant water fountain in the center of a roundabout that they pass by. Kimmon is quite marveled at where Copter lives. He eventually pulls up in front of Copter's home and Kimmon puts the car in park, staring wide-eyed at the house before him from his window.

He turns to Copter to make a remark, "O."

Copter is undoing his seat belt and looks at Kimmon when he hears him, "What is it?"

"Huh."

"What."

"You're not sparkling anymore. And the roses are gone too," Kimmon tilts his head, "I was getting so used to it too," he's a little bummed out about this change in development. Copter's still beautiful but the glow around him is gone making him look less ethereal.

"Hold on. Nothing?"

"Yea, there's nothing. You look normal now. What do you think that means? Am I not cursed anymore?"

"I..." Copter frowns, "I don't know."

"You're really out of practice aren't you?"

"Ugh. Listen, just come inside and let my mom know about this alright? And then you can go home if it really is nothing," Copter lets go of his seat belt and opens the door, climbing out of the car in smooth movements. Kimmon's frozen for a moment, watching him leave and then makes a clumsy exit out of his car. He scrambles out, whining out loud about how fast Copter is and attempts to catch up to him.

Copter hops up on the low cement steps, skipping a few, and continues to walk down the path towards the front door. Kimmon's a bit distracted at how massive the front garden is and wonders if Copter's mother planted all these because of her magical background.

That or she just likes plants.

It's when he's staring up at one of the tall banana trees and wondering if there were any magical properties to it. In his distraction, he trips on one of the uneven cement steps. He lets out a yelp and braces himself for his face to eat the concrete.

His eyes are clamped shut in anticipation for the pain but he feels warm arms wrap around him, so he flutters his eyes open.

_O._

"O," he gasps as he stares up at Copter. His heart is beating so fast as he looks into Copter's concerned eyes. It takes him a few seconds to realize that he is in Copter's embrace, in a rather dramatic dip, preventing him from falling ass backwards to the ground and _holy shit_.

The way the full moon above glows around them makes Copter's hair look like a halo. He looks angelic and beautiful in a way that Kimmon's never seen before. He's captivated by what he sees before him. Copter's so dazzling. So lovely. So gorgeous. So alluring. So bewitching. So--

"Uh...are you alright?"

"Copter, you _saved_ me," Kimmon breathlessly says. He puts his hand over his heart, trying to calm it down. But it seems to just beat faster under Copter's gaze. _When did Copter get so handsome?_ Kimmon wonders in a daze.

Copter lets out a huff of disbelief, straightening the both of them up, "Well at least you're ok," he smirks at Kimmon, who sort of wants to swoon, "I can't believe I just saved your ass like that. Wait until the fans hear about how I'm the hero here."

"Hey! What, no! I am!"

Kimmon is! He's _so_ the hero here. The audacity!

"Whatever you say."

Copter turns around with an air of smugness, if Kimmon says so himself, and continues his merry way to the front door with Kimmon walking quickly after, still protesting.


	3. Chapter 3

"Maybe it's this one," Natty is poring over some of her books from when she studied magic, abandoned when she focused on university. Their mother leans over her shoulder to get a better look and makes a noise of disagreement, pointing further down the page, "No, Kimmon had a different presentation and it's different if you read right here."

"Do you think it could be this flower?" View sits up straighter and pushes her notebook towards them, "Its properties are powerful in a love spell, but the only issue is it seems impossible to put into an edible form since it's bitter. Kimmon you said it was sweet?"

"Erm, yea." he says from where he's sitting. He's twisting a napkin in his hands and Copter wants to reach over to rip it out of them.

Natty and their mother both read the handwritten passage, the three of them murmuring and debating over it, "Maybe whoever made it figured out how to hide that taste? It's candy after all." "I don't think so, something this big? All that cooking may affect its properties." "Exactly. It's strong enough to handle it." "But thi--" "Wait how about this one!" "What if it's not even a love spell?"

They're all sitting in the kitchen, around the table with old notebooks and tomes that had long been forgotten from when they studied magic. Copter internally cringes at how sparse his notebook is compared to everyone else's as he goes through his pages. He shuts it, feeling a little embarrassed at how little he's contributing to helping Kimmon after all that talk about how he was going to get rid of it.

Kimmon swipes the notebook from Copter's grasp, eagerness on his face, "Hey!"

"Aw, come on," he sends his puppy eyes, _goddammit_ , all big and mouth pouty to Copter, "Please?"

"Fine, whatever," Copter waves an unbothered hand and grabs another book from the stack that View had brought from her room, "You're not going to find anything interesting in there," he breaks the book open, the cover seeming to crack under the movement and he flips through the thin pages. He's not sure what he's looking for as he absentmindedly reads the passages. There's a hand on his shoulder and he turns to see Kimmon tilting his head towards him with a sincere smile.

"It's you. Of course I'll be interested," Kimmon says, then he flips it open, his eyes scanning over the crude drawings Copter did as a child, "This is adorable Copter, I wish I got to know you when you were little."

Copter curses in his head that the light in this room is bright and he's sure his ears are red.

He can sense the smirks his sisters are sending over his and Kimmon's direction and after checking to make sure Kimmon's well distracted, he aggressively makes a 'be quiet' motion at them with his hand. He is not dealing with this on top of Bas and Tee's teasing from earlier and with Kimmon being hit with this ridiculous spell.

Ugh.

Reading the book again he realizes that even though the words are familiar he doesn't know what they mean and can't recall the details of each specific spell or flower and their properties. He never had any interest in it and even though he memorized it all at one point, it's not like he understood what the purpose was and it all leaked out of his head.

Aside from the one time he made his asshole of a classmate sneeze all day. That was necessary.

"Have you thought hmm...of maybe finding this fan?" View asks, interrupting Copter's thoughts.

"Er..."

"There were so many fans today," Kimmon puts the notebook down and frowns, tapping a finger on his chin. He glances over at Copter, "But to be fair, there were a lot of similar faces and I don't think they've ever given me homemade candy before. I can't imagine any of them doing something like this. Maybe it's someone we've never seen?"

"I mean," Natty shuts her notebook and tosses it back on the table. She massages her forehead, sighing, "It could be a long time fan that wasn't able to do this until now. Maybe she, or he, didn't take action until recently."

"Ah."

"Natty has a point," Copter mutters and grabs his tablet from his bag, "We're lucky that the fans film and photograph everything. Maybe someone managed to capture you getting it from whoever it is?"

"But what if we can't find that person?"

"They could come back to the next fan event, if we figure out who it is and voila! We see them at the next event, catch and demand them to give us what they used. Easy," Copter types in their hashtags into the search bar.

"Ok but..." Kimmon frowns, "What if they're not from here? Or worse, what if they're from out of the country and they're long gone?"

Of course, Kimmon picks now as the time to ask the logical questions.

Great.

"I don't know! We'll figure it out as we go," Copter puts the table on the table between them, "Now let's go through these videos and find the moment you grab the candy. Hopefully," he says with a little trepidation at the daunting task ahead of them. He looks up to his sisters and mother, "Um...could you help too? The event was a little long today. I wouldn't be surprised if they still are going to upload their videos later in the week."

Despite being in the business for quite a while now, he's still not used to watching himself as well, himself. It's one thing to watch him act, but he's able to put a distance between the character he plays and his own self from it because it's not him on the screen. It helped to watch for any weird ticks and what he can improve on as an actor. But it's still bizarre to watch his own genuine interactions with Kimmon or them playing it up for the cameras, Kimmon more so. Copter wants to throw the tablet across the room when the next video he watches zooms in and focuses on his face as he looks at Kimmon.

"O! O!" Kimmon exclaims and reaches over to grab Copter's hand and uses his finger to swipe the screen down.

"What."

"I want to see this video."

It's a video of Kimmon leaning down to peck at Copter's dimples. The camera is shaky and even though the volume is on mute Copter can still hear in his head, the surprised and joyful gasps from the fans at Kimmon's antics.

"Ugh," Copter removes his hand and swipes away from the video, "You're too much sometimes," he mutters, rolling his eyes.

He can feel the pout emanating from Kimmon, "Well I don't see why not, I love you and wanted to show you how much I do," Kimmon says, voice all petal soft.

Everyone stares and the only sound Copter hears is the fan running.

"Uh...I love you too man?" this isn't the first time Kimmon has said this, it's quite normal. But kissing Copter's cheek has always been part of fan service, so _what the fuck_ is he on about. Copter wonders if this has to do with the love spell -- if Kimmon's going to start telling everyone he loves them, good god that'd be a disaster.

"Really?" Kimmon's face lights up.

Copter glances over at his mother and sisters, all three of them watching Kimmon with identical, scrutinizing looks, "Yea? Of course?"

Kimmon beams a smile at Copter and keeps staring, as if waiting for him to say something else back. Copter swears if he had a tail, it'd be wagging. The light above them is reflected in his bright eyes and the exuberance he exudes is palpable.

"Kimmon are you feeling any different right now? Copter's mother asks. He shakes his head, his gaze still on Copter. Copter feels a bit perturbed by it and shrugs it off, turning back to his tablet. He's used to this by his weird stares by now, "We should um..." Copter clears his throat, giving the tablet a keen stare, "Keep looking through some of these videos."

At least an hour passes by and there still isn't anything of significance that would indicate someone gave Kimmon the candy. It gets more annoying how most of the videos focus on the kiss and less on everything else as they keep scanning for any signs of whoever gave Kimmon the candy. Any other time, Copter wouldn't mind it, but right now he wants to toss the tablet out the window in frustration. Over and over, there's a repeat of his surprised reaction followed by Kimmon's pixelated grin as he laughs into his microphone.

Copter's never been so sick of his own face until now.

He sighs out in frustration, letting go of his tablet and rubs at his eyelids. His contact lenses are irritating them and he should have removed them sooner at least. There's a soft brush of fingertips alongside his temple and he pauses his movements, realizing it's Kimmon.

"Um..." Copter brings his hand down to peek over and Kimmon leaves his hand there, grazing his ear now.

"Are you feeling alright?" He's leaning in so close that Copter could see his own reflection in Kimmon's velvety, dark eyes, "Do you need water? Maybe we should stop? You've had a long day."

"N-no we need to continue looking and get you cured."

"Copter, I don't mind waiting," he implores and his fingers further dig into Copter's hair. Copter can't help but close his eyes for a moment, letting Kimmon massage him. It's a nice reprieve, then he remembers where he is and flutters his eyes open.

"Um. Ok. You're right," he scoots himself back, the warmth of Kimmon's hand disappearing and does his best to avoid his sisters' gazes, busying himself by closing the case over his tablet, "It's getting late and um. Maybe you should head on home. You live kind of far."

"O? But I could stay to look after you."

"What? No! It's fine, I just need to sleep," Kimmon's expression turns a little sad and his mouth purses into a moue, "Are you sure? I could cuddle you!" he insists, "I give the best cuddles, you know I do."

"Kimmon. No."

Kimmon frowns and looks down at his hands, his long fingers twisting together as if signalling his distress. Copter almost feels bad for it and is about to give in, but he stays resolute and reaches over to pat his arm, "Kimmon, come on. Go home, it'd be better for you to get home sooner before it gets really late. I know you're not comfortable sleeping elsewhere aside from your bed."

"Ah," Kimmon nods his head in agreement, "Mm...you're right. You always know me so well," he seems to perk up and gazes at Copter with a serene look, "Ok, I'll go home," he turns to Copter's mother and sisters, murmuring a polite goodbye as he stands up.

"Kimmon let us know if anything changes," Copter's mother says, offering a smile at him, "I don't think anything will and you've seemed to be doing fine the whole day thankfully."

"Thank you, I will," Copter follows suit and stands up, pointing his finger after Kimmon to indicate to his mother and sisters that he's following him. When they step outside, it's a lot quieter than it was when they first arrived, the night time insects out and about buzzing even louder than normal. The muggy air, sticking to their skin as usual.

Kimmon seems to be attempting to slow his footsteps down towards the car, dragging his feet along the gravel. Sighing, Copter pushes him forward and then Kimmon reaches over to hold onto Copter's hand, interlocking their fingers. Copter's a bit thrown off and about to pull his hand away, but the blithe smile on Kimmon's face gives him pause. He looks so pleased and Copter can't help but allow it, tightening his hand around Kimmon's. It's a comforting grip and rarely do they hold their hands like this as they walk, Kimmon oftentimes wrapping an arm around Copter's shoulders when they do.

"Mm you know, reading your little notebook back there," Kimmon says, interrupting the lull, "Really gave me an insight to little Copter's mind."

"Right, if that's what you managed to get out of my chicken scratch."

"No," Kimmon drags the word out, "I did! Did you forget you wrote some lyrics in it?"

"I did?"

Copter doesn't remember this at all, trying to recall what he had written in there all those years ago.

"Mmhmm..." there's a mischievous look in Kimmon's eyes. He swings their hands together as they keep walking, "It was towards the back of the book. I'm surprised you forgot. You wrote a song about the magical dots."

"...What?"

"Red dot, blue dot comes together to make a purple dot," Kimmon says in a sing-songy voice.

"You're having me on," Copter laughs and shoves his shoulder with a light hand.

"Hey man, you're the one who wrote it," they reach Kimmon's car and Kimmon lets go of Copter's hand to poke at his face, "Ah, so happy to see your dimples like this."

"What does that even mean?" Copter reaches up to swipe his hand away, but Kimmon holds onto his hand, "When you're happy, your dimples get deeper than usual. It makes me want to shrink myself and snuggle in them."

"You are so weird, what the _fuck_ goes through your mind sometimes. O my god," Copter laughs into his hand. Kimmon makes a petulant face at that, but he starts to smile as Copter continues to laugh at him and his cheeks are sore from it all. The longer they hold their gaze though, Copter's laughter gradually dies away. He tugs his hand out of Kimmon's, "So uh. Call me if anything, anything changes ok? Even if it seems minor. Or if you think you grow an extra organ."

Kimmon giggles and unlocks his car, the beep of it echoing in the empty street, "Of course. A good night hug for me?" he holds his arms out. Copter lets out a gust of breath and steps into the hug, "Thank you for your help today," he murmurs into Copter's ear, his hands rubbing up and down his back. It's warm and inviting, as Kimmon's hugs usually are. Copter pats him on the back, thinking that was that, but Kimmon doesn't let go, "Uh. Kimmon?"

And then there's a warm press of lips against the corner of his eye to his temple that sends a shock to Copter's system. It's like a sizzle of electricity is going along his spine and his nerves are set alight from just a simple kiss.

" _Kimmon._ "

"Hmm?" Copter can feel the soothing vibration of his voice against his temple. There's something intimate about it, feeling the brush of Kimmon's breath there.

"Um-- You can let go now."

"O, I'm sorry," Kimmon says, blinking all slow as he stares at Copter, who takes a quick step back, trying to calm his heart down, "I'll see you tomorrow?" his eyes seem to shine bright under the street lights. His smile is wide and radiant and Copter for a moment forgets where they are.

"Y-yea," Copter murmurs and pushes Kimmon towards his car, "Let me know when you get home safe."

"Aw, I knew you cared about me!" he opens the door and climbs into his seat, "I'll see you tomorrow?" he asks as he puts on his seat belt, "Do you need me to bring you anything tomorrow? Tea? Coffee? I could get you a smoothie if you want. I got myself a mixer a while ago but never got to test it out yet."

Copter shakes his head in disbelief, trying not to show his smile. He closes the door for Kimmon, who brings the window down and sticks his head out with a shining grin, "Are you sure?"

"I'm fine," he pushes Kimmon's head back in, careful not to wack his head against the top of the door, "Let me know when you get home, so I know you didn't get into an accident."

He takes a step back, waving back at Kimmon's enthusiastic one and watches him drive off. After making sure Kimmon had driven away without crashing, he locks the gate and makes his way back.

When he steps inside, he's confronted with the looming figures of his sisters and mother in the foyer. Despite being so much taller than them, he's a little thrown at how intimidating they look. He presses his back against the door as if it'd shield him from whatever they're going to say, but he feels more like a trapped mouse.

"What's going on?" he warily asks, eyeing the three of them.

"Copter, I had a thought. Now hear me out," View holds her hands out in a placating manner as soon as he's about to open his mouth, "And they agree with me. But the likelihood of the fan being a shipper of you two is high, right? Since it was an event just with the both of you."

"Where are you going with this?"

"What if this fan is trying to force their hand in it? To make you guys an actual couple? The candy was for both of you, wasn't it?"

"No. The fan gave it to Kimmon, it had his name on it. I think."

"Copter, did you not see how Kimmon is acting towards you?"

"He's acting the same as before."

"Yea, times a hundred," Natty mutters under her breath, "I wanted to leave the room so many times."

"What are you talking about?"

"Hmm, well if View isn't going to say it," Natty raises an eyebrow, "Kimmon's been acting like he's in love with you."

Copter stares and bursts out laughing, leaning against the wall in disbelief as he calms down, "Good one View. In _love_ with me, ok."

"Copter," his mother says in a calm voice, "Consider what your sister is saying."

He pauses and observes all three of them, the thought that they believed what they were saying dawning on him, "Wait, you're being serious. Mom, _really_?"

View sighs, "It's just a thought, but it makes the most sense to me."

"No, it doesn't. Even if Kimmon's acting in love with me, it could have been anyone if they were in the room with him. I just happened to be there when all of this occurred and the first person he saw when he ate it."

"Copter, you _know_ there's no spell like that, come on. That would be a useless love spell. There has to be a purpose and person behind each one. That's why I think this fan may have tried to link you two together."

He holds his hands up in exasperation before bringing them down, "We don't even know if it's a love potion, this is ridiculous. It's not like Kimmon declared his love for me!"

They all give him a look and he rolls his eyes, "You know what I mean. And I didn't eat the candy."

"Maybe so. Maybe Kimmon eating it may have been enough."

"Wouldn't it make more sense for the fan wanting Kimmon to be in love with," Copter waves a hand in the air, "The fan?"

"Do you see him talking about wanting to be with anybody else? Yearning for another person?"

"I-- no."

"Exactly. And if you take out him saying he loved you earlier, he seemed more hyper focused on you today. Way more than usual."

"That's-- that's stupid no! That's just how he is. I didn't realize that it's abnormal for best friends to look out for each other and that's weird for your guys," he snaps.

"I don't really know what the big deal is Copter," Natty crosses her arms over her chest as she looks at Copter with a smug smile, "You're in love with him anyways, you might as well take advantage."

"Wh-- _what_?" he sputters, "No I'm not."

"Natty, stop. That's _wrong_ ," View admonishes, slapping her hand on Natty's arm. She turns back towards Copter, looking at him with pity and Copter can't help but feel a bit resentful of it, "O Copter, you don't have to deny it. We know you well enough and seen how you've been around him since you've known each other."

"I'm sorry, wh-- did everyone just collectively forget I had a girlfriend this entire time?"

"Yea and you broke up with her a couple of months ago. Gee, I wonder why," Natty says, the tinge of sarcasm obvious.

"Because there's nothing to wonder why! She wanted something different, o my god!" the bubble of frustration that starts at the pit of his stomach is boiling over, "Kimmon's my best friend and there's never been anything romantic between us. He's like the brother I've never had, I'm not going to let you distort what our relationship is just because of our work."

View and Natty sigh, both nodding at him although he knows it's not because they agree with him. The toll of the day catches up to him from running on adrenaline and nerves due to dealing with this curse and he's hit with a wave of exhaustion, "Also do you get what you're saying? If you're right, that means a fan would have gotten something from either of us to make that spell even work and o _my god the fan would have gotten something from us._ "

"Yes that is a bit concerning," Copter's mother says, "We might have to bring it up with the agency that a fan is somehow getting personal belongings from you two."

The thought of a fan somehow getting their hands on their hair is alarming but it's too overwhelming to think about at the moment. All he wants right now is to curl in his bed and forget everything. It sounds more appealing than dealing with whatever this is.

"Look, let's just--" he sighs and walks towards the stairs, "I'm going to bed, it's late. I don't want to think anything about curses or spells for the rest of the night until I meet up with Kimmon tomorrow. _Please_."

Copter walks up the stairs and he can hear the three of them murmuring downstairs when he makes his way to his room; he knows they're talking about him and he hates it when he's being talked about behind his back, but right now he couldn't care less. He doesn't want to think about any feelings or missed chances. He's spent from the day he's had and he's out like a light when he climbs into bed.


	4. Chapter 4

When Kimmon waltzes into the building with a hop and a skip, the first thing he sees is Copter all curled up in the corner of the room, swiping something around his tablet. Most likely working on his music with how focused he looks and Kimmon feels a little hot under his collar at the serious expression. All of a sudden, Copter's brow furrows and he looks a bit cross at whatever he's staring at on the screen. Kimmon wants to squeal, finding that Copter looks quite adorable. His hair is also looking particularly shinier and fluffier today.

Kimmon walks up with quiet footsteps, then slides on the bench next to Copter and peeks over his shoulder to look at the screen. Copter jumps, scooting away and calms down when he realizes who it is, "O it's you Kimmon, good morning."

"Hello," Kimmon purrs out and leans his chin against Copter's shoulder. Copter smells lovely. It's clear he showered this morning, and the light scent of his shampoo permeates Kimmon's nose, "How are you?"

"Um...fine," Copter's eyes widen and he scoots away a little more. Kimmon wants to pout at that. So he does, "Why did you move away from me?"

"Cause you were up in my space?" Copter turns a little more to face Kimmon head on, "Have you felt any changes in your body or anything else since last night?" Kimmon finds it sweet how concerned Copter is being and his fondness only grows.

"Nothing feels different, but I had a good sleep knowing I will see you today," he simpers. And it's true, he woke up refreshed and excited because it was another wonderful day to see Copter. The thought of seeing him made his heart sigh.

"Ok, that's good," Copter breathes out a sigh of relief, "I still haven't found anything online on any social media about yesterday's event, but Natty is working from home today, so she told me she'd be searching around. I'm hoping some fans today have loaded some things on if they didn't have time yesterday."

Copter looks so exquisite under the light right now, his lips a cherry red and Kimmon wants to kiss the mole that's next to his mouth.

"You look very pretty today."

"Um. Thank you," Copter frowns at him with a displeased look, "But I'm handsome."

"Yes that too," Kimmon concedes and pats his head.

"Hmph."

"Do you think I'm handsome?"

Copter gives him a gobsmacked look.

"Well?"

"I mean...I guess."

"You _guess_?" Kimmon frowns. That doesn't sound right. Copter rolls his eyes and turns his head down to keep working, "Copter!"

"What?"

"Tell me I'm handsome!"

"You know you are! Why do you need me to say it?"

Kimmon pouts. He thought the answer was obvious, "Because. I want to hear it from you."

Copter laughs, shaking his head, "Ok ok. Yes, you are. Happy?"

"Yea," Kimmon gloats and leans his chin against his hand, continuing to watch Copter work, "Have you eaten anything?"

"Not really, just some tea."

"What? Copter!" Kimmon gasps and stands up, "You have to eat more than that! We have dance rehearsal today!"

He shrugs, tapping something on his tablet, "Wasn't really feeling hungry."

"Not on my watch," Kimmon grabs a hold of Copter's hand and he yelps in surprise, "Let's go!"

"K-Kimmon wait! We have practice soon!"

"It's fine! We have another hour, not like they'll start without us," Kimmon tugs on his hand and Copter scrambles to stand up after him.

\--

"Here, open your mouth. _Ah_."

Copter gives him an unimpressed look.

"Please?" Kimmon holds the bun out to Copter's mouth, the paper wrapped around it crinkling in his hand as he keeps wagging it in front of Copter to tempt him, "Hmm? _Hmm?_ "

"I'm not a child you know. I'm a man."

"Yes, but I wanna feed you."

"If I do, may I eat it on my own after?"

"No."

Copter lets out what Kimmon would describe as a long suffering sigh, but he elects to ignore it and waves the bun near Copter's face. After giving Kimmon another pointed look, he leans down taking a generous bite of the bun. He pulls away, still chewing and wipes away the crumb from the corner of his mouth. Kimmon smiles watching him. Copter's always so careful and delicate in his movements, he could watch Copter all day and the little things he does.

Sighing, Kimmon leans against the tree that's outside next to the small shop he dragged Copter to. The lone chair outside of the shop they're sitting on is quite small for the both of them, so Copter has to sit on Kimmon's lap. Copter resisted at first, saying that they could walk back to the studio to eat there, but Kimmon insisted, not wanting their friends to bombard them. It's not that Kimmon disliked being around them -- he loves their company and constantly hung out with them outside of work.

He just wanted to be around Copter on his own for a few moments and there must have been something on his face that convinced Copter enough to relent to his pleas. Kimmon likes to think it was his effervescent charm.

It's nothing new, Copter sitting on his lap, but Kimmon swears that there's something special about this moment. There are butterflies in his belly at how close they are to each other and the warmth of Copter's legs permeate across Kimmon's along with the sun's rays. Kimmon's content, floating on a pink cloud and he wants to bear hug Copter and snuggle into him, but he doesn't want to spill the bun on him, _so_.

Copter's staring forward, a concentrated look on his face. He seems so far away from Kimmon, even if he's right here and Kimmon pouts a bit at being ignored. He nudges Copter's shoulder with his chin, "What are you thinking about?"

"Hm?" Copter looks down at him with inquisitive eyes, "Ah, mostly how to fix you from this. Another bite?"

Kimmon offers the bun up again and Copter takes a bite, before turning away. He looks down and frowns thinking of the words Copter said. He doesn't really like how that sounds -- he doesn't feel like there's anything wrong in him to be fixed. Mulling over it, he's sure his body and mind are functioning as normal as they always have been. He wonders if Copter and his family are overthinking the extent of what this supposed curse could do. Kimmon fiddles with the napkin that surrounds the bun, tearing at it, "What are you thinking of doing if you can't find the fan?"

"If Natty can't find anything today, I guess we'll make the antidote on our own. I'm worried about the lasting effects if this goes on longer," Copter heaves a heavy sigh, "But it's risky to make a potion when we don't know what's in it in the first place. Not to mention, we don't even know if it's a love potion either," he offers a wry smile to Kimmon, "I don't want to hurt you and I dunno, what if your skin gets all scaly like a lizard?"

"...you can do that?"

Copter laughs into his hand, "I've never done it, but it happened to my cousin."

"Hmm. Well, you won't hurt me." Kimmon pokes at Copter's dimple then wraps a snug arm around him. He hears Copter make a sound of surprise as he squishes his face against Copter's shoulder, but Copter puts up no protest to the hug. "You would never hurt me. I believe in you."

The sun is shining warm on his face, so he closes his eyes. There's a shuffle and Copter's moving his arm, disrupting Kimmon's position; before Kimmon could whine about the change, Copter's fingers are in his hair and scratching his scalp. Kimmon feels all fuzzy and warm from it, tightening his arm. His heart is beating so fast, he wonders if Copter can feel the rapid rhythm of it and he presses his head harder against Copter's chest.

\--

During their dance rehearsals, Kimmon finds that he can't stop staring at Copter. He looks so graceful as he dances and the way the sweat glistens off his skin. He's talented and smooth in the way he moves around the room and Kimmon can't help but get caught up in his movements and sigh out loud as he watches Copter.

Kimmon eventually gets told off by their choreographer for being behind everyone by a few steps and he almost exclaims how it's because of how beautiful Copter looks, but the intense look on Copter's face makes him stop. He supposes telling everyone he's under a magic spell wouldn't do, especially when Copter said nobody else knows about his background.

Not to mention what a loon he would sound.

It's when he comes back from doing his business in the bathroom during a much needed break, that he sees something that is the equivalent of getting stabbed right in the heart.

Not that he knows what that's like, but he's pretty sure it feels the same because he wants to absolutely fucking die.

In the corner of the dance studio, Copter and Bas are cuddling together like a pair of kittens, watching something on Copter's tablet. There's a vicious feeling in his core though, burning bright and he feels red hot all over his body. He has a sudden urge to remove Bas' head away from Copter's what with the way their hair is tangling when Bas moves in closer to look at Copter's tablet.

Bas' mouth is moving, making a comment about whatever he's seeing. Suddenly, he leans in and presses a kiss to the corner of Copter's mouth. Copter turns to kiss him right back and _fuck_ _no_ , not on his watch. Kimmon storms over to where they're sitting and pushes Bas off away from Copter.

"What the fuck!" Bas yells in surprise as he falls to the ground and looks up at Kimmon in disbelief, "Kimmon, what the hell?" he rubs his shoulder and there's a hurt expression on his face.

Kimmon's frozen, unsure of what is happening, but all he knows is the hot ball of fire he felt in his chest earlier is gone or at least more subdued. He frowns at Bas, the apology frozen in his throat. All around him, he can hear the buzz of people exclaiming their surprise and shock.

The next thing he knows, he's being dragged out of the room by Copter and they're suddenly in a more isolated area of the building.

"What theshit, Kimmon. You've never hurt Bas like that before," Copter hisses and looks around before he leans back in, "What's going on?" he whispers, his eyes widening in urgency.

"I don't know!" Kimmon cries out, taking a step back, "I just...I don't know. I saw you and Bas cuddling and I didn't like it. I hated it. I just knew I had to get him off of you. And seeing you two kiss, I couldn't take it anymore."

Copter's quiet for a moment, "Kimmon, Bas and I do that all the time. You've never had an issue with it before."

"I-- I know," he presses his hand against his lower chest, massaging it, "I-- actually it felt like this burning in my chest. I j-- I wanted it gone. My heart was breaking Copter. And pushing him off you made it go away."

"Ok, ok," Copper breathes out, trying to take the information in. He gives Kimmon a scrutinizing look and Kimmon's unnerved by his stare, not revealing anything, "If Bas and I kissed each other right now, what would you do?"

"....probably strangle him."

"If anyone else kissed me on the mouth, what would you do?"

"Also strangle them."

"...if Tee kisses Bas in front of you?"

Kimmon frowns at the sudden change of direction, "Why would I care about that?"

There's a switch to Copter's demeanor at that answer. He lets out a breath and brings his hands up to rub his temples, "Ok, Kimmon. I think..." he looks back up Kimmon, "View had this theory and I thought she was wrong. So, so wrong. But I think this love spell has made you...fall in love with me. Aggressively."

And it's like a revelation, like the clouds have parted and a ray of sunlight shines on him. Kimmon can hear the sounds of cherub angels singing over him, because yes of course. It explains everything and he feels elated that he knows what it is, what this beautiful and wonderful feeling that's been filling his heart and mind.

"I am! I am in love with you!" he says and grins wide at Copter wanting to reach out to hug him. He steps forward to do just that.

But Copter's frowning and he's pushing Kimmon back, which is the opposite of what should be happening. Kimmon's not sure how to take that, a flash of hurt in his chest. Copter has resisted any form of affection from him before, always turning away and running when Kimmon hugs him, but this time it bothers Kimmon. He brings his arms down, twisting his hands together.

"No you're not."

"Yes I am. It explains everything! I'm in love with you. I must have been in love with you all this time."

"Kimmon, what you're feeling is not real."

"But-- but I'm sure I'm in love with you?" he knows it to be true in his heart, just as he knows his name is Kimmon.

"O my god." Copter groans into his hands, "You've never been in love with me before and not ever, please stop," he looks up at Kimmon again and he looks scared. Kimmon doesn't want him to be scared -- he wants him happy and smiling, "We're going to fix this and try to get you back to normal."

"But Copter..." Kimmon is sure he's about to cry at how Copter isn't accepting his love. Denying his hugs is one thing, but denying his love? "How could you say that?" His heart hurts. Like it's being pinched or a needle is poking right through it and all the blood and love is spilling out of him everywhere. He thinks death is quite comparable. Kimmon presses his hand against his chest, right above where his heart sits and tries to massage it, but the pain doesn't go away. In fact, it gets worse and the feeling is bubbling up his throat choking him,"How can you doubt my love for you?" he gasps out and his vision of Copter starts to blur. He wipes away his tears and Copter is staring at him with wide eyes.

"Kimmon," Copter holds onto his shoulders, fingers digging into them, "Look at me, Kimmon."

"I am, I'm always looking at you. I have _always_ looked at you," Kimmon feels so sad and he wipes another tear away, unable to stop sobbing. He's sure he can fill a bucket with how overwhelmingly sad he feels and it's as if his tears won't stop pouring out. He doesn't think he's ever felt so heartbroken before in his life.

Copter rubs his hands up and down on Kimmon's shoulders in comfort. It sort of helps but all Kimmon wants is to be wrapped by them in a loving embrace, "I know it feels like you are, but that's the spell. Shit, I think it did get worse."

Kimmon's shaking his head, "No it's not! I truly feel this way. I'm really in love with you. So much. I want to be with you."

"Kimmon stop," Copter says in a firm voice, "You can't say that."

"But why not? You don't care if Bas says he loves you or _kisses_ you," the bitterness seeps into his voice and he wants to stamp his foot to the ground, "Why can't I say it?"

"It's not the same Kimmon!" Copter looks exasperated, his voice breaking when says Kimmon's name. So Kimmon quiets, continuing to sniff and cry a bit some more. He doesn't want Copter to keep being angry with him and he's exhausted. He hates getting into arguments with anyone and arguing with Copter is the absolute worst, "You're under a spell. This isn't how you feel, it isn't real."

"You can't tell me what I do or don't feel! It's not just the spell."

"Kimmon, you saw me sparkling yesterday with roses for crying out loud and-- and you're blurting shit out you've never had before."

"I've always said you're pretty though."

"You have a _girlfriend,_ Kimmon!"

Kimmon abruptly stops crying when that fact is thrown at him because yes, he does. It's weird. He's forgotten about her, even though he knows they've been together for ages. He remembers how supportive she's always been through the ups and downs of his career, the kindness she exudes. He recalls her beautiful long hair and her fair skin, but he can scarcely recollect the features of her face and he shakes his head as he tries. Kimmon runs his fingers through his own hair, feeling like something is stuck in his throat, "I...I don't?"

"What?"

Kimmon shakes his head again, the thread of the thought disappearing in a smoke and he's not sure what it was. He glances down at Copter, who is staring right back, still waiting for an answer. The light from the large window at the end of the hallway beautifully lights his blond hair in a glow and Kimmon's breath is taken away. All he can focus on is the heaviness of Copter's hands on his shoulders and he wants to hold them within his.

When he looks at Copter, it's as if he's his whole world, "Copter," he whispers, "I don't think-- I don't think this spell really is doing much. I think I've always felt like this about you."

Copter freezes, his eyes widen, "What?" his grip around Kimmon's shoulders tighten.

"I'm so happy whenever I'm with you. My heart is always bursting and I can't contain it whenever I look at you. I never know what to do with all these feelings," Kimmon insists and reaches up to grab onto Copter's hand. It's like someone pulled a cork out of his heart and he's unable to shut up, "We're meant to be, can't you see? I think you love me too. You and I. We're perfect together."

Kimmon believes it. He doesn't think he's imagining how Copter's vulnerable eyes look up at him as if he's also hoping. So Kimmon pushes forward, "Right? You love me too?" He implores.

Copter tugs his hand away from Kimmon's desperate hands, but Copter is successful and he takes a step back. He tucks his hands under his arms and he looks so small as he hunches over, "Kimmon, I love you like my brother."

"Bu--"

"No."

There's a buzzing sound coming from Copter's pant pocket, breaking the tense atmosphere that had built up, and he pulls it out, "Give me...give me a second Kimmon," he swipes a thumb across his phone and turns around facing away from Kimmon as he takes the call.

Kimmon has this sudden urge to give Copter a back hug and pull him against his body. But instead, Kimmon stands there, feeling rather useless and a little sad. He doesn't understand why Copter is denying what they have.

Then Copter turns around, ending the call. There's an excited look on his face and Kimmon perks up at how beautiful his smile is, "Natty said she found her."

"What?"

"She found the one who gave the candy to you. I'll send her a message through my account and try to meet up with her somewhere."

"O," Kimmon looks down. He doesn't like this, "I...I don't want it."

"Kimmon."

"No, Copter! Why not? It's ok! Don't _fight_ this!"

"Kimmon, it's not real," Kimmon swears he thinks there's unshed tears in Copter's eyes and he wants to reach over to stroke his face and tell him it's alright.

"I love you, no, I'm in love with you," he whispers, hoping Copter can hear the sincerity in his voice, "Even if the spell caused this, it doesn't make it any less true," he holds onto Copter's free hand between his hands, "Copter, please."

Copter sighs, looking down. His eyelashes flutter against his cheeks and Kimmon wants to lean down to kiss them, "Kimmon," he says in a low voice, "It's not real. Whatever this is, it will never happen and I'm going to get you back to normal. You'll see."

Kimmon steps back, drawing his hands away and shoves them into the pockets of his jacket. It's like a part of him is dying at how Copter keeps rejecting him, "No, I..." the determined look on Copter's face gives him pause, "Fine. Fine, get the cure for it. But I know I'll still be in love with you regardless. If I still feel this way after everything, will you let me love you? Could we be together then?"

Copter stares at him for a bit and side steps around him towards the staircase, "Kimmon we have to go back to rehearsal."

Despite wearing his hoodie, Kimmon feels a little cold as he watches Copter walk ahead of him.


	5. Chapter 5

Rehearsal turns rather awkward.

Or maybe it's all just in Copter's head. Nobody seems to say anything of note and Kimmon's the type who cries and whose face can easily recover from it, no red nose or eyes in sight.

Lucky prick.

Bas also had forgiven Kimmon when they were gone, coming up to give him a rather tight hug as soon as Kimmon steps into the room a few minutes after Copter. They stand there, hugging for a while, as Kimmon mutters apologies for his behavior and expresses concern for whether Bas was hurt elsewhere.

It's sweet.

Copter does his best to ignore Kimmon, not sure how to handle it all and still shaken by what had happened earlier.

The thing is.

The thing _is_ , is Natty had been right.

When Copter lays in bed, alone in his thoughts that unravel in the dark, he admits to himself that he does rather love Kimmon in a non-brotherly way. He had a feeling back in his youthful days, confusing it for admiration for someone older than him -- it's happened before after all. Kimmon was someone easy to admire for how thoughtful and well spoken he was; balanced that with his youthful charm, he made it easy for Copter to look up to him. But when it got down to it, he later realized he may have a little more than a platonic love for the man. However, they were both in relationships at the time and he pushed it down, deep down, six feet under down, until it was in an itty bitty box that he threw the key away down, deep into his heart.

But further into his own relationship, the feelings would rear its ugly head and he realized he couldn't drag her along with his attempt at this pretense. It was unfair to her and he felt like he was emotionally cheating on her. He brokenly told her the reason for no longer seeing a future in their relationship, feeling that she deserved his honesty at least. Even though she had ended up crying, she had been understanding and he had felt awful for being the cause of her sadness. It was the worst and yet the easiest breakup he had ever gone through, that heavy burden being lifted off his heart.

So life moved on.

Kimmon was still his best friend, but in a committed relationship and Copter pushed the feelings away. Upon hearing the news of Copter's breakup, Kimmon had declared he was going to do everything he could to cheer Copter up and distract him from a broken heart -- not realizing he was the cause of it. It was so Kimmon to be clueless about this. But Copter had been endeared by what he tried, which really was playing games for hours.

It's fine, it's been fine. He's happy when they get into their silly play fights or when they tease each other often. It's enough for Copter to not think about his own unrequited feelings when Kimmon sends him a teasing smile his way.

But right now at this exact moment, after Kimmon saying he's _in_ love with him, Copter thinks he might just fucking lose it.

It's so unfair to hear the words he's longed to hear when Kimmon is under a love spell.

Fuck magic, seriously.

\--

Copter's in a public park, waiting for Dao. He's not sure what to expect and hopes she doesn't hex a curse at him for confronting her about what she did.

Kimmon wasn't able to come with him due to his acting duties for some drama that he had to film later that evening. This worked out fine for Copter. Their conversation earlier had been stilted and awkward, but Copter attempted to move past it. Kimmon still looked at him with his sad, big eyes and Copter nearly gave into it.

Because just once would it be nice to know what it's like, instead of pretending for their fans.

Then he remembers Kimmon's girlfriend and how he knows her well enough. He can't look her in the eye if he lets this go on. He had to fix this, he determined.

After Copter informed his mother and sisters of Kimmon's advancement under his curse, they didn't seem surprised at all and moved on from the revelation, helping him compose his message to Dao.

He knows his mother isn't sitting too far from where he is on the bench. Copter insisted on going at this alone, not wanting to scare the fan off, but he agreed with her that at least it was better for him to have some kind of backup just in case. It's not everyday that someone is called out for magic, it's not something that's advertised. He had been surprised when she readily agreed to meet him, that a part of him did wonder if she had something up her sleeve.

Copter scratches the edge of his face mask and adjusts his cap to avoid the low sun hitting his eyes. He's been here for about ten minutes already and Dao hasn't shown up yet. He moves his backpack towards the middle, hoping she'd be able to see it since he told her that would be his calling card. It has a bright, red heart patch that he had put on earlier, to make it easier for her to find him.

Dao is late however and Copter is ready to send her a harsh text for wasting his time. Just when he's about to call it a day and stand up from the bench, he sees someone run into the park, wearing what appears to be a high school uniform. Something about her frantic pace gives him pause and he realizes she's making a beeline straight for him. It's clear she just got out of school and then she stops a few paces away from where he's sitting. She's panting out air, bending forward to take in deep breaths. He gives her a moment, watching her with wary eyes.

"I'm sorry I'm late. My last class ran overtime," she straightens up to give him a polite greeting, "Hello Copter."

"Wait. You're Dao?"

"Yes."

"You're awfully young to do that much magic," he squints his eyes at her, examining her face, "How old are you?"

"I'm 18 actually. My family's taught me magic since I was three years old," She sits next to him, flipping her long ponytail to settle behind her back, 

Dao has a rather young face and is of small stature that Copter would have thought her to be way younger.

" _You_ made this?"

She nods.

He feels a little pathetic next to her since he started at a young age also and was not as skilled as her. It dawns on him a bit that she must be an incredibly talented and powerful witch and he's stunned at how young she is to make this. Copter removes his mask, stuffing it into his pocket, then turns to face her/

"So um. I'm going to trust you don't tell anyone about my background?"

"Of course. I know not to tell anyone, trust me," he wants to interject that he doesn't, "Though I was rather surprised to learn that you have a magical background. I didn't detect that at all in you in all the times I've seen you."

It's a backhanded compliment, Copter's sure of it. That or it could be his own insecurities speaking, "Hmm well. I had other things on my mind when learning. But back to the matter on why I wanted to meet with you."

"Right," Dao comfortably sits back against the metal slats of the bench, her gaze piercing into Copter, "So you discovered it was me then."

"Yea well. You didn't really hide it by putting that up online."

What Natty had discovered was a video filmed from Dao's phone, showing her hand waving the bag of candy towards Kimmon, who reached out to grab it and saying thank you to her with a kind smile. The caption that came with said video stated, "Happy my idol accepted my homemade candy."

"It's not like I expected anyone to connect the dots, especially you having any magic to figure it out," she reaches into her messenger bag, taking out a bottle of water.

Copter feels like they're tiptoeing around the actual issue and it bothers him how nonchalant she's being about this. So he bites the bullet, "Look, here's the thing. Kimmon ate it that day and now he's been acting like he's in love with me."

"Ah. And I'm guessing you saw that flash of light to figure that out," she takes a sip of her water and sighs, "Knew I should have fixed that bit but oh well."

"It did the job well enough," Copter mutters and crosses his arms over his chest, "And now we can't figure out exactly how you made it. We haven't found the spell anywhere."

"Hm. I did make it on my own after all. You wouldn't find it in any of your spell books," she smiles at him and there's a cockiness to the tilt of her mouth, "You know, what I put in there was meant to enhance one's feelings. It doesn't develop out of thin air. Good to know my theory was right."

Copter counts to ten in his head because yelling at a smug teenager is not something he should do, especially in a public setting like a park where many people are milling about. He eyes her. She continues to sip on her water and let out a few melodic hums. It's clear that she's in a good mood and he attempts to quash the flare of annoyance.

"How did you get our hair because that's one of my main concerns about the whole thing."

"Erm. I don't want to say. Don't want to get them in trouble. You understand right?"

The flare of annoyance transforms into a ball of anger, "You're _fucking_ joking."

She looks startled at his outburst, but he doesn't care anymore. It's not as if she's a fan of his anyway.

"Why did you do this?" he asks, agitation clear in his tone and bounces his leg up and down, "This isn't-- this isn't something to toy with. You had no right," he glances around to make sure no one around them can hear and looks at her, her eyes staring wide back at him, "Dao. Whatever Kimmon and I are, we try our best for our fans, to give you that fantasy, but that doesn't give you the right to interfere with our personal lives. At _all_. Do you know how violated I feel? How Kimmon feels? What did you expect was going to happen by forcing us to be together? You'd think we'd be happy about that?"

"I--"

"And to take advantage of Kimmon's goodwill. Knowing he would take your gift so willingly."

Dao looks down at her lap, twisting the bottle in her hands. The confident air she had put up seems to diminish, "I'm-- I'm sorry.'

"Sorry's not enough."

"I see how you look at each other all the time when I went to the fan meets. I wanted to encourage it. I was so sure--"

He can't believe he has to say this out loud and explodes, cutting her off, "We are not _toys_ , holy shit. It's one thing for us to say this stuff at-- at those fan meets, I can accept that because it's my job. But to breach our privacy, to go beyond into our lives like that isabsolutely not ok. We're not here for your mere amusement, do you get that? Our private lives are ours and not yours to mess around with. You don't get a say in this, in how we run our lives," Copter's hands are shaking in anger. Dao's avoiding his gaze and the vindictiveness that's burning in him turns into tiredness.

"Didn't you learn this when you were taught magic? Manipulating people is wrongand you shouldn't be bringing that kind of magic into this world."

Dao's quiet and Copter hopes he's getting through to her, "I did."

"You're talented. You are _so_ talented, I'm envious at how you made this and wish I had your gift, but you need to learn how to use that for good. You can't do this, _shit_ ," Copter puts his head into his hands both upset and overwhelmed, taking in a deep breath to calm down. He pulls his hands away to look at her, "I don't know if you realized what you caused, but Kimmon's not himself. Whatever you did is causing more harm and I don't know how far it could go if I don't fix this."

"What is he doing?"

"I'm not telling you that. You don't get to hear that because Kimmon deserves his privacy and I don't trust you enough not to tell anyone," she nods, looking a bit abashed, "But what you'll tell me is the ingredients you used and how you made this, so I can undo it and everything goes back to normal."

"Ok. Ok, I'll tell you. Let me write it down, it's easier that way," she opens her bag again, taking out her notebook and a pen. She starts to write it down in a neat script, the pen curling around the letters and Copter leans in a little to read what she has written. Copter could tell how proficient and skilled she is, her notes comparable to some of the spells he's seen written in the spell books he had to learn. He's impressed with how well she knows it, not seeming to pause at all.

When she's finished, she rips out the page and hands it to him.

"This is everything?" he inspects each line and gives her a skeptical glance. He can only hope that she didn't change anything in it on him.

"Yes. A lot of the ingredients are easy to obtain. It's the amount and how you cut them that affects it, so you have to be very patient. I've written the details on how each herb should be sliced," she twists her fingers together in her lap, looking away from Copter, "I'm sorry again. You have no idea how sorry I am."

"Do you actually understand the severity of what you did or are you just saying that to me?"

"I do understand! I do, I know you said sorry isn't enough and I know I'll never make up for it. But I really am sorry."

Copter holds the torn paper up to her, "This won't totally make up for it, but this is a first step. As long as you never do this again."

"There's something else."

"What?"

"The catch to this," she hesitates and Copter feels a swoop of dread in his chest at how she looks at him, "He'll forget."

"Forget what?"

"Just forget. The love he's been feeling towards you. It'll be gone," there's a tinge of remorsefulness in her voice as she stares at him with her big eyes, "It'll be like a dream for him."


	6. Chapter 6

Dao was right. The ingredients are quite easy to find in a discreet shop in the Chinatown area; it's one of those shops where if you know where it is, it'll appear before you but if not, it's as if it's never been there. Copter hasn't been here in years and he's surprised to find that the wooden exterior has remained the same and stepping into it is like stepping into a time machine. The shelves are full of vials and baskets and a strong smell of mothballs emanates from them. There's still that large black spot on the wall from when Copter witnessed someone tripping and spilling the jar of liquid fireflies and green flames burned in that spot for months.

They scour the shelves, collecting every herb they could find on the list. The shop seller's eyebrows rise further and further up as he watches their stock on the counter pile up. Copter knows it's odd; people who practice don't buy a bulk order like this unless they're casting a powerful spell and now Copter's worried at the extent of how it's affecting Kimmon if they don't reverse it as soon as possible.

Copter, his mother and sisters are all standing in front of the wooden table laying everything out on it. It's been a while since any of them had made any potions, the tools used for it locked away in the cupboards. They bring them out now to sit next to the ingredients.

He reaches into his bag for one last thing and takes out the lock of Kimmon's hair that he obtained before leaving to meet Dao. Kimmon's forlorn face comes to mind when Copter recalls asking him for it and how subdued he looked as Copter snipped his hair. He places it next to one of the empty glass vials.

Part of him wishes he lost the lock of hair in the process.

"I think I should do it," he says, breaking the silence in the room.

The three of them all stare at him.

"Are you sure?" View asks, concern marked in her eyes, "I know this wasn't your strong suit back then. It's ok if one of us does it you know."

"I am," he scratches the wooden table top with his fingernail, "It feels right that I should. I'm the one he's-- I feel responsible for this."

"It isn't your fault," Natty says, "You know that right?"

"I still-- I should do it. I know it's been a while for me but I think if it comes from me, it'll help with the spell on Kimmon even quicker. And with his mind on the line I wouldn't screw it up I think."

Copter hadn't told any of them what Dao said at the end. He doesn't know if he still believes it. Maybe if he ignores it, it won't come true. But the more he mulls it over, it only makes sense that Kimmon would forget. It's not as if he's in love with Copter. To take away the cause of that, of course he would forget all those feelings of adoration.

A part of him right now wants to curl up and cry because this is just his luck. His love life hasn't been the greatest, but none of his previous heartbreaks have made him feel hopeless like this.

He lays the page that Dao had written out earlier onto the counter; it's now a bit worn out from how often Copter kept folding it over and over for the past day. He presses his fingers against the corner of it as he reads the written directions, making sure he understands everything. He knows how important it is that the herbs be cut a certain way, how they're poured into the bowl and how the movements of their hands in the air could affect the spell. It's been years since he's made any kind of potion, the last one exploding in his face when he was attempting to shortcut his way around a cleaning spell.

He feels warm hands patting his back in comfort and a murmur from his mother to call for him help should anything arise, followed by the door closing shut.

Copter grasps the knife in his hand and fishes out the black snake root from its pile.

He takes in a deep breath and makes the first cut.

\--

Kimmon dreadfully misses Copter.

It's been less than 24 hours since they last saw each other, but because they had no band-related activities and Kimmon was busy all day with his own acting gig that he didn't have any chance to at least text Copter. The ache in his chest from wanting to see Copter is hard to deal with but he pushes through it when he's at work.

He misses seeing how Copter's eyes light up and the laughter that spills out of his mouth whenever Kimmon says something silly, even if it might not be the funniest thing. He misses watching how Copter rolls his eyes, then sigh out loud at something stupid and ridiculous that Kimmon may say. He misses watching how Copter concentrates when he's working, the little dimple appearing on his cheek when he purses his mouth to the side as he focuses on writing his music.

Kimmon's heart swells at that image.

The more he thinks about it, he doesn't understand the issue. Even if Copter kept rejecting him yesterday, saying nonsense like that Kimmon didn't love him, well goddammit, Kimmon is determined to make it work. He still thinks it's possible for them to be together, he doesn't see why not.

Copter could be stubborn sometimes, annoyingly so.

Kimmon's at home now, his loneliness about to consume him, so he fills the void by watching some romantic comedies. He's not one to watch these types of movies, preferring action and fantasy. But he had this strong sudden urge to, wanting to watch people meet the love of their lives who change them for the better and have their happy ending. He's about to finish the movie he's been watching for the past two hours, chowing down on some fried chicken he ordered earlier. It's greasy and disgusting, but exactly what he needs at the moment. He licks his fingers, watching the male protagonist rushing to the airport to talk to his ex-girlfriend before she leaves to move across the country.

The man is frantically rushing through the terminal, trying to find his love and Kimmon puts his chicken back on his plate. He's so engrossed with the scene when the man does find her and spills his heart out, how they can work through the long distance even if it may seem impossible. The music is swelling when she nods, tears in her eyes and they kiss right there in between the crowd walking around them. The camera pans back as they keep kissing and some love song starts to play in the background.

A thought comes to Kimmon and he pauses the movie.

He needs to talk to Copter, he _needs_ Copter to understand that what he's feeling is real. Thinking back on it, he doesn't think he imagined how Copter stared at him when he confessed. Looking at Kimmon like he was everything. What's the point of both of them suffering from this unrequited love when they have feelings for each other? If that couple in the movie can work it out, then surely Kimmon and Copter can overcome any obstacle. The thought of talking to Copter roots itself into his brain and he can't shake it off.

Determined, Kimmon wipes his fingers on a napkin and runs out of his room. He makes a grab for his keys where they sit in a little basket he keeps by the door and almost knocks it over in his haste. The blood is pounding as it rushes through his body. All he can think of is Copter standing before him, the beautiful smile that will appear when Kimmon manages to convince him that they're meant to be. Kimmon's sure he's ruined his sneakers when he shoved his feet into them, bending the pull tab inwards with his heels. He feels a little bad, knowing this was a pair a fan had gifted him but come on, _this is an emergency._

He knows Copter must be home now. They have no activities scheduled for the day and Copter's always been a homebody. Maybe he should call ahead of time, but he thinks if he does Copter would figure out a way to avoid him and Kimmon can't have that.

\--

The drive is long, it's so goddamn long and Kimmon wants to scream whenever a car cuts him off. He fucking hates the traffic in this city and he wants to bulldoze through the idling cars. He swears some people are driving even slower when he honks at them to move forward.

By the time he gets to Copter's home, it's almost evening, the sunset a brilliant orange that's lit up the sky and casting a golden glow to the ceramic rooftops of the homes in the neighborhood. There are families strolling around everywhere and Kimmon in his haste nearly runs over one. He's not sure because he's focused on only one thing and that is to get to Copter right now.

Kimmon parks the car in a rather haphazard manner by the curb and dashes across the front yard, making note to not trip over the steps. He rings the doorbell in a repetitive succession and when the door opens, he's met with the annoyed face of Natty. Her eyebrows rise in surprise and she looks him up and down, "Kimmon? Wait, how are you feeling? You feeling worse?"

"I'm fine, I'm so fine," Kimmon rushes out and he knows he looks suspicious, being all jittery in his movements. He resists the urge to push Natty to the side and walk into their home by leaning his arm against the door frame. Natty gives him a look that reminds Kimmon of a certain someone who has occupied his mind and heart, "Is Copter home?"

"Yea."

Then silence.

"Can I go see him?"

"Why?"

"Natty, come _on_ ," he's considering getting on his knees, "Please?"

She stares at him with a piercing gaze, almost as if evaluating him and he can see the thought process go through her mind -- she nods her head then and steps to the side, "He's in the room at the end of that hallway."

Kimmon rushes out his thanks and runs in, yelling out a quick hello to Copter's mother who's on the stairs with a bewildered look on her face. He twists the knob to the door and opens it with ease, "Copter!"

Copter turns around from where he's standing in the middle of a rather dark room, the only light is the fading natural light coming from the high windows, "Kimmon?" It looks like he's clearing the large table that's covered in all sorts of greenery and jars, his hands holding bunches of dried leaves. He looks so devastatingly beautiful standing there, the light coming from the window hitting his blond hair and making him angelic. Kimmon's taken aback and can't help but to stare at him in a daze, "What the-- what are you doing here?"

Realizing that he's just standing there, he coughs into his hand and shuts the door, "I am here," Kimmon straightens up in an attempt to look gallant as he walks forward, "To convince you that we should be together. Again."

"No Kimmon," he turns away, stuffing the leaves into the jar with slow, careful motions.

"W-wait but," Kimmon swallows, "I want to make this work. We make so much sense together, Copter. You and I-- we are perfect. What's the point in both of us suffering when we love each other?" he reaches out to barely graze Copter's shoulder, who turns to look up to him, "My heart aches for you."

There are dark smudges under his eyes, the redness in them emphasizing his tiredness and Kimmon's heart twinges at it. He brings a hand out, tenderly touching Copter's cheek with a palm, hoping his feelings are felt through that. Copter's eyes flutter close in, letting out a light gasp. Kimmon wants to brush his thumb against the swell of Copter's bottom lip, but he leaves it.

"Why can't we be together? We'd be so happy I think."

Saying that seems to change Copter's demeanor and his eyes shutter, "That happiness is not _real_ ," he snaps and shoves Kimmon away with his shoulder to walk to the counter by the side, placing the jars of leaves onto it. The aggressive clamor of the jars being placed onto the wooden counter top is the only thing filling the silence.

"Even if it's fake, I don't-- I don't see the harm in it. I'm not sick or anything. I feel normal," Kimmon walks up to him, his hand outstretched towards Copter wanting to reach him, "And you're not denying that you love me."

"That's not--" Copter cuts himself off and he keeps turning his eyes away, avoiding Kimmon's stare, "I already made the potion."

Annoyance and frustration builds up and explodes in his chest, "Ok, fine! I'll take your stupid potion." The pain in his chest could swallow him whole and he doesn't understand why Copter's being an idiot about this, "And I'll show you, I'll _show_ you that I will still love you. That it's not fake," he looks down at the counter and notices the only vial that has liquid in it. He snatches it, the purple potion inside sloshing around.

"It's this one right?" and brings it to his mouth, gulping the contents down, faintly hearing Copter's yell of surprise. There's a subtle taste of mint, but it's not too overpowering and he tips the rest down. Kimmon wipes away the few drops that spilled out onto his chin and slams the vial back down onto the counter.

"There," he looks over at Copter, who is staring at him open mouthed, "How long is this supposed to take?"

"Uh..."

The corners of his vision seem to become hazy and a bit dark. There's a sparkling aura in front of Copter, smudging Kimmon's view of him. Kimmon brings a hand up to his eyes, trying to rub at them but it doesn't go away. It's like he's moving through cotton and he hears Copter's faint voice call for him. He blindly grabs for the counter and then there's a warmth around him. Kimmon realizes Copter has an arm around his waist and he thinks, "Ah, this feels so nice."

The last thing he sees is Copter's worried face near his and then it's black.


	7. Chapter 7

Copter grunts as he lowers Kimmon to the ground and tries to lay him against the cabinet in a gentle manner. Sitting back on his haunches, he stares at the man, who is the cause of his inner turmoil, as he figures out what to do next.

He did not expect Kimmon to drink the sleeping potion that he had made for himself due to his restless sleeping the past few days. He'd been a little shocked by Kimmon's sudden appearance and too occupied with the thoughts going on in his own mind, that he was slow to react when Kimmon made that sudden grab for the vial. Then drank the entire thing like a fucking idiot.

Who even does that without checking? Kimmon, apparently.

Copter heaves out a heavy sigh, running his fingers through his hair. His heart feels like it's in his throat and he tries to swallow down the frustration, but it's stuck there. He lets out a raspy cry, rubbing the heels of his palms to his closed eyes.

Why does love have to be so unfair? Kimmon's declaration runs through his head over and over. Copter yearns for it to come true and desperation lighting in every nerve of his body.

Kimmon's head slumps forward, interrupting Copter's brooding thoughts. He looks ridiculous like this -- his lanky legs all splayed out and his chin tucked to his chest. Copter pushes Kimmon's head back so his neck wouldn't be uncomfortable and he can't help but leave his hand lingering in Kimmon's hair. Copter presses his thumb at the dark mole under Kimmon's eye. He's so peaceful looking when he sleeps with the sweet curve of his lips open a bit and the downward angle of his lashes give them a long appearance.

He'd be knocked out for a few hours and Copter needs to carry him somewhere comfortable to lie in in the meantime. But for now he sits here, stroking a tender thumb across Kimmon's temple.

\--

"Copter?" Copter looks over from where he's sitting on the ground by the couch and kneels up to take a good look at him. Kimmon slowly blinks, looking around his surroundings in confusion, "Where am I?" he grunts out and rubs his eyes.

"Living room. Had to carry you out here."

Despite his lankiness, Kimmon's surprisingly heavy and Copter had to call out for his sisters to come in to help drag Kimmon out. Not like he'd tell that to Kimmon; he knows Kimmon would make incessant fun of him for that.

"How long was I out?"

"A while actually. It's late now."

"Mmm..." Kimmon's rubbing his temples, still bleary eyed, and letting out a slight whine.

"Ah, let me get water for you," Copter says and stands up to head to the kitchen.

"Wait, wait, wait," Kimmon grips onto Copter's hand, stopping him in his tracks, and looks up at him, "I took it right? The cure?" there's a hopeful look on his face and his eyes are all starry under the muted lighting in the room.

Copter stares.

He should definitely tell the truth.

He really should.

"Yea, you did."

The words feel hollow on his lips.

His mother and sisters would be so disappointed in him.

Kimmon's face lights up, his smile taking over his face as he sits up, "Copter, Copter," he puts a hand over his chest, right above his heart, "I'm still in love with you," he whispers, the elation in his voice clear.

Copter thinks he's gonna vomit, "R-really?"

Kimmon lets out a delighted laugh and pulls Copter closer to him until he's sitting on the edge of the couch, "Yes! I feel the same as I did before. My heart still beats the same for you," His overjoyed look makes Copter's heart ache at his words. He swallows, his throat burning and the guilt settles in the pit of his stomach.

"Tell me, please. Do you love me too?" Kimmon's smile drops, his eyes widening in alarm, "O, why are you crying?" and he cradles Copter's face in between his hands and wipes his tears away, "Copter, my heart can't handle it when you cry like this, what's wrong? Please tell me what's wrong," There are unshed tears in Kimmon's eyes and Copter is so overcome by it, feeling his lip shake.

"It's nothing," Copter's throat is closing up from trying not to sound weepy, but it's useless. He looks up at the ceiling and takes in deep breaths to calm down. Copter pushes Kimmon's hands away from his face and rubs at the stray tears, "Just give me a moment."

"Ok," Kimmon murmurs and there's a hand rubbing up and down Copter's back, the warmth from it comforting and steadfast. It makes him want to cry some more. He feels awful and is pretty sure he could take the award for the world's absolute shittiest person. All that talk to Dao about how she shouldn't use her magic to manipulate people and here he is doing just that. When he glances over at Kimmon, Kimmon's looking at him with so much hope and Copter doesn't have the heart to deny it anymore.

"Yea..." Copter whispers, the words spilling out of him before he can stop, "I'm in love with you," Kimmon's about to say something and Copter stops him, "Let me-- just let me finish ok? I really want you to hear this. I need you to hear this."

He nods and slips a gentle hand across Copter's. Their fingers interlace and Copter can't help but think their hands fit so well together. He watches how Kimmon's thumb strokes his skin and shudders.

"I don't know when I fell in love with you," Copter looks back up at Kimmon and his heart stutters at the gentle, soft look Kimmon gives him. He realizes now that Kimmon's always given him that look when he's listening to him with such attentiveness, "But I still remember the moment I realized I was. You were so cool, Always looking out for me. Always understanding what I was thinking and making sure I was ok. Dunno how we got along so well cause I thought you were such a freaking weirdo when we first met, I couldn't believe you were older than me."

Kimmon laughs and Copter sadly smiles in response, hand gripping tighter around his, "Do you remember how I spilled everything about myself to you and we'd barely known each other for a week? I was so surprised how easy it was that we connected and I thought you were the big brother I always wanted. Then somewhere along the way I couldn't stop thinking about you even more than that. To see you more than that."

"Copter..."

"I don't believe in destiny or any of that shit, but I'm so happy that--" he swallows and his vision of Kimmon gets swimmy, "That somehow all these small random things lined up for me to meet you."

The smile on Kimmon's face is dazzling, "You're my favorite person in the world," he says, tightening his grip. The beaming smile on his face doesn't wane and Copter's in a daze at how lovely he looks with the soft, warm light of the table lamp beside them. The tender look in his eyes makes them dewy and he leans down.

Instinctively, Copter shuts his eyes. There's a caress of fingers on his neck, travelling up to his cheek and the brush of warm breath against his lips. It jolts him out of his trance and a gasp falls from his mouth. He shoves Kimmon back before it could go any further, to a point of no return; his heart beats fast in his throat and his hands shake where they sit against Kimmon's chest. Kimmon makes a slight mewling sound, hurt apparent in his eyes.

Fuck.

"K-Kimmon, we can't," he pulls his hands back and attempts to sit further away, but Kimmon makes a desperate grab for his forearms.

"What? Why not?"

"Um. I-- We shouldn't go around kissing each other all the time," Copter says, clearing his throat, "And we haven't gone on an actual date yet," he winces, knowing it's not a good excuse.

But Kimmon doesn't seem to notice and nods in agreement, "O! You're right, that makes sense. Let's go out right now."

"Kimmon it's late. Way too late for anything, nothing's open."

"Please? Just a walk around your neighborhood at least? Hm?"

"I--" Copter sighs, looking away. When Kimmon pleads this way, cursed or not, Copter's still compelled to give in, "Ok. Just for a little bit alright? My mom wouldn't like it if she found out I was out this late."

"Of course."

They grab for their shoes and sneak out of the house, tiptoeing near the front of the door to not wake his family. Copter leans against the wall, watching Kimmon tie the loops of his sneakers in a careful manner. He taps the ground with the toe of his sandal, chest tight as he tries to assuage the guilt that's burning inside him. The uncomfortable snake in his chest curls around inside him, threatening to choke his breath. But when Kimmon looks up at him with a bright smile, that feeling ebbs away. He can't help but offer him a small smile back.

Kimmon stands up, patting his hands against his jeans, "Ready?"

Copter nods and Kimmon holds out his hand, slipping it into Copter's, "Come on, before your mom scolds me for stealing you away," he says with a mischievous smile and drags Copter down the graveled path until they reach the closed gate. Copter unlatches the metal bolt as slow as he can in an attempt to be quiet, not wanting the sound to reverberate and wake his family up somehow. They stroll out and Kimmon giggles in excitement, pulling Copter out into the middle of the street.

"The cars!"

"Copter, it's late," Kimmon declares and sweeps his hand around, "This is the best part about walking out when everyone's asleep."

"Not sure if that's right."

"Don't worry, I'll protect you. I'll be your savior," he thumps his chest with an open hand and smugly smiles at Copter.

"Right, sure sure."

Kimmon scoffs in disbelief, "Copter. I'm taller and older than you. It goes without saying."

"Who's the one that saved you from cracking your head open just this past week?"

"Hmm..." Kimmon squints at him and then he perks up, his smile widening, "Hey, I suppose we both need one another to save each other after all."

Copter huffs out a laugh because of course Kimmon would somehow twist this around. Kimmon starts to walk backwards facing Copter, still holding onto his outstretched hand, "Where shall we go on this impromptu date?"

"There's nothing around here Kimmon. I told you everything is closed."

"Copter, come on."

"I-- well there's a small park nearby. Where that fountain is."

"O!" Kimmon pulls Copter up next to him, "Let's go there then," he leads Copter for a few steps before stopping, "Wait, I don't know where it is," he turns to Copter with a pitiful pout.

Copter snorts and tugs on Kimmon's hand in the opposite direction, "Come on you. It's this way."

The air is muggy, sticking in between their palms and the humidity is dense that Copter can smell it. Kimmon swings their hands together and he faintly sings over the dull hum of the streetlights and nocturnal insects buzzing about.

Out this late, Copter sees his neighborhood in a different light. Due to the late hour, it's tranquil and there's a hush that falls over the houses, everyone asleep safe and sound. The moon is waning and the streets are dark despite the scattered glow of the lights. It's almost eerie, with the shadows of the trees and fences, but Copter knows he lives in a safe neighborhood and doesn't find it too frightening, finding it rather peaceful instead.

"Actually if there's a ghost out there, I'm gonna need you to protect me," Kimmon says with a grave voice, eyeing the trees around them, "Kind of underestimated how creepy this is going to be."

"I can't tell if you're joking or not."

Kimmon pulls on Copter's hand until they're shoulder to shoulder, "I'm serious. I don't think I can handle it. At least you have magic to protect you."

"Ghosts don't do anything anyways."

"Wait, are you saying they're real?"

"I didn't say that."

"Copter!"

"Guess I'm the hero in this situation after all."

"Yes, yes, you are. Are you happy now?" Kimmon whines, but his mouth is curved in a half grin, "We should write a show about it. Your magic and you as the main character. But we'll just pretend it's CGI to trick the audience and they'll have no idea."

"O yea? What would you write?"

"Hmm. Just you solving supernatural mysteries and using your magic to find the answers. Maybe have you solve _murder_ ," Kimmon gasps, "And of course you'll have a partner, who has no magic at all but uses his vivacious charm and wit to talk to people to help you."

"Would this partner happen to be you?" Copter smiles at how excited Kimmon's getting.

"What!" Kimmon mockingly laughs and waves a hand, "Pfft, of course not. I'll be the writer of this drama. I'd be too busy making you look heroic please," there's a few moments of silence that passes then he sighs, "Of course I'm the partner. What do you take me for? Who else would be more perfect for that role?"

"Hmm, dunno. Maybe Bas," Copter teases and Kimmon pouts, "Hey, I'm kidding."

He harrumphs and attempts to pull his hand away, "Not funny."

Copter tightens his hand around Kimmon's in an apology. He knows it's the spell that's making Kimmon act sensitive at the mention of Bas now and feels a little bad for poking fun at it, especially when it's uncontrollable. In reality, Kimmon would have goaded and teased for that scenario to happen.

The longer they continue their nighttime promenade, Kimmon's not pouting anymore and he loosens up again. He's back to singing with his soothing, husky voice, dancing and skipping on light feet. He coaxes Copter to dance with him and Copter shakes his head at his antics as he follows Kimmon's footsteps. It's strange because he knows Kimmon is still under the spell and yet, he's still acting the same when he does goofy things like this -- the line between who Kimmon is versus a cursed Kimmon is blurred.

Kimmon slips on the gravel when he attempts to do a move, almost toppling Copter to the ground and grips onto his waist, "Oops."

"Kimmon."

"Alright, alright. Serious walking now," he says, flattening his mouth, "So very serious," he grips onto Copter's hand and starts to march forward like a soldier.

"You're going the wrong way again."

Kimmon whips his head around and frowns, "Well someone should be leading the way!"

"Mhmm," Copter tugs his hand towards the right direction, "Come on, we're almost there."

Kimmon intertwines their fingers again as they walk and it's quiet for a few moments. Copter's keeping his eye out for the park, making note of the few landmarks and sure that they're heading over to it.

"Hey, so..." Copter turns his head to him and Kimmon sends him a shy smile, "You said you remembered when you fell in love with me. What was it?"

"O, um..."

As if sensing his hesitancy, "Ah, do you want me to tell you mine?"

Copter's steps falter against the cement, "What?"

Kimmon smiles wide, "You were singing to yourself, working on a song. I remember thinking how lovely your voice sounded, which isn't new. I've always thought that. But I was watching you and thinking, I could listen to you all the time. _Want_ to listen all the time. And you were frowning at your laptop. I think something was wrong with the file, but you looked so..." he waves an idle hand in the air as if that's supposed to mean something, "That's when I knew."

Copter tells himself this is the working of the spell, it has to be, _it just has to be_. Yet he can't stop the euphoria that's bubbling over. He wonders if that moment Kimmon's recalling is real or not and curses Dao for giving him hope.

"So?" Kimmon jostles his elbow to Copter, interrupting his somber thoughts.

"I..." Copter licks his lips as he thinks of the memory. He hasn't thought about it in so long, "Um, ok well. We were on the way to some event I think. Can't remember what it was really. And I said a pretty dumb joke, but nobody laughed. I was feeling kinda stupid about it and then you started laughing like a hyena."

Kimmon cackles, the sound of it echoing in the empty street, "What?"

"Yea."

He'd been sleeping, or at least Copter assumed he was, when Copter dropped the joke. He still remembers the elation and relief that took over the awkwardness he had been feeling when Kimmon's laughter filled the car. A fleeting thought went through his mind at how well they clicked together and that Kimmon just got him, no explanation or words needed.

Copter was struck at how Kimmon looked, despite the tiredness around his eyes and dull skin that had yet to be covered in makeup, his smile was dazzling and beautiful. He wanted to lean over the seat and kiss him, yearned to be wrapped in that laughter forever. Startled by that thought, he spent the rest of the car ride texting his girlfriend as he attempted to pretend those burgeoning feelings didn't exist.

Not that it helped whatsoever with what happened a couple of years later and the feelings grew only deeper and more ardent.

"Then I asked you later if you were laughing out of pity and you slapped my head saying you thought it was funny and I needed to stop being stupid."

"Mm, yea I definitely would have told you if you weren't being funny."

Copter shoves his shoulder into Kimmon's and he stumbles to the side, dragging Copter with him due to their linked hands, "Copter!" he laughs and straightens up, "Don't be mean to the one you love," there's a teasing lilt to his tone however and he squeezes Copter's hand, "So that was when?"

"I know it's not the most romantic, but..." he shrugs off his answer. There's too much to say, no words to encompass all of what he's feeling.

Kimmon doesn't say anything for the next few moments, his dreamy eyes gazing at Copter, "Come on," he whispers and pulls Copter forward, "We still got to walk a bit more before this is over."

They walk together in a companionable silence until they reach the fountain. The water isn't running and the lights in the fountain have shut off for the night, darkening the area surrounding it -- save for the array of street lamps by the edge of the park. Kimmon lets out a cheer and tugs on Copter's hand to walk forward at a faster pace until they reach one of the few benches that encircle the fountain.

"This is nice," he throws himself onto the bench and stretches his lean body in all directions, letting out a loud moan. Copter chuckles at how ridiculous he looks. Still leaning against the metal arm of the bench, Kimmon pats the empty space next to him, "C'mere my love."

Copter twists his mouth at the term of endearment and sits next to him. Kimmon wraps a playful arm around his shoulders with a sigh, "Too bad the fountain isn't on. That would make this a little more romantic wouldn't it?"

"Mmm."

Kimmon shifts a bit until his head is against Copter's shoulder and brings his other arm around Copter, giving him a semblance of a hug. It has to be uncomfortable with how much taller he is, but Kimmon doesn't complain, "But the moon is here," they both look up to stare at the lunar crescent above them, "Does that mean anything in your magic?"

"Yea, but don't ask me. I don't remember any of that."

Kimmon sighs, a bit put out, "Copter, how am I supposed to write about you as a magical superhero if you don't remember something as basic as moon phases."

"O god."

"I was thinking about you fighting a monster whose weakness is the moon."

"You're so weird. That makes no sense."

"Meh, it's not like you know either," Kimmon snuggles his head further, tucking his head into Copter's neck. His soft mouth brushes against Copter's neck and Copter shifts in his seat. This is more intimate than anything they've ever done. Kimmon could probably feel Copter's brisk heartbeat under his lips. The arm around his waist is heavy and Copter lifts his hand to caress it, Kimmon's skin breaking out into goosebumps.

Copter leans his head against Kimmon's, watching the few stars he could see above them. The light pollution from the city washes out most of them, but it's still beautiful and peaceful in its own way. Some are brighter and bigger than others, planets floating between the expanse and all of them perfectly placed as if they are meant to be there. He only wishes he can remember what they all mean.

He only wishes they can sit like this for a long while.

"Copter?"

"Hm?"

Kimmon sighs and Copter hears the pensive hesitation behind it. He doesn't continue and Copter closes his eyes, waiting.

"I know you don't believe in this sort of thing but..." his voice is deep and intimate, curling around Copter's heart, "You and I...somehow we belong together. You are my soulmate."

"You really believe that?" Copter murmurs. He isn't sure whether this is the potion speaking or not. He recalls what Dao said earlier, but he doesn't know whether to believe her words with her motives behind it. It makes him too hopeful and devastated all at once because he knows nothing would come from it in the end.

"Yes," the sincerity in Kimmon's voice is achingly soft, "I think in other lifetimes we've met long before and in others we never did. Maybe we crossed paths and said hello before we separated. But we find our way to each other. On any level, our souls fit and we're meant to be, to impact each other's lives in some way whether as friends, lovers or strangers. I know you've said destiny and fate don't exist, but something about us makes me believe in something. And somehow in this lifetime, you are my best friend," he pauses and lets out a light laugh, "And the love of my life."

"But the love spell. How can you say that?"

Kimmon shakes his head, hair tickling Copter's neck, "Don't think of it like that. If I never ate that candy-- even if we never end up together, it would have never changed how I feel about you. I know this deep in my heart. And I know this is true now that I'm cured. "

"I...Kimmon--" Copter turns away, biting his lip.

He really is the worst.

A part of him wants to confess, ready to scream it out. That Kimmon is still under the influence of the spell and everything is a lie and this charade needs to end.

He hears a heavy sigh and Kimmon sits up, the warmth lifting away from Copter's shoulder. There's light fingers on his chin and he's turned to face Kimmon. Copter meets those gentle eyes before him -- he thinks he can see the stars in them and longs for them to be on him forever. Kimmon's lips slightly curve up, "Can I kiss you now?"

He should definitely say no.

He really should.

"Not my mouth though," he whispers.

Kimmon's brow furrows, but it clears as he nods and he leans forward. Copter flutters his eyes shut as soon as he feels soft lips on his forehead. There's a gasp of breath and it moves to the corner of his eye then along the curve of his cheek. Kimmon doesn't lift his mouth, smearing hot breath across Copter's skin as he presses more kisses further down. He's so tender with them that Copter's heart aches for it. Yearns to touch him and bring him in closer. He curls his hand into a fist, nails digging into his palm, to prevent himself from reaching out.

Copter lets out a shuddering breath.

Kimmon's lips linger at the corner of his mouth, treading dangerously -- Copter's drawn to the heat of his mouth and the prolonging makes it more intimate than if they were kissing. He's tempted to turn his head and to fit his lips over Kimmon's, to take that one final step that he's refused to take. He's already crossed so many lines, what's one more, and nearly does it. Just one small tilt of his head. Copter can sense Kimmon's hesitation to pull away, his fingertips along Copter's jawline is trembling.

But he does pull back and presses their foreheads together, mouth panting near Copter's.

The only witness to this is the moon and the stars that hang above them.

\--

"Do you-- do you want to stay here for the night?" Copter offers, pulling his key out and slipping it into the keyhole of the front door, "I'm not comfortable with you driving out this late."

"Hmm. Sure," Kimmon says, swaying in place with hands in his pocket as he waits for Copter to unlock the door, "I'm a little tired to drive all the way back to my place anyways."

"Um you can sleep on my bed," Copter swings the door open as he quietly can and sneaks in, trying to not make too much noise that could wake his family.

"Copter, what do you take me for? I'll sleep on the couch. I slept on it alright earlier."

"What? N--"

"Copter," Kimmon bends down, pulling at his laces with a hand, "It's fine. Trust me."

"Fine," Copter kicks his sandals off and stuffs his keys into his pocket. He stands there feeling awkward as he watches Kimmon remove his shoes. His bangs messily fall over his face and Copter's fingers itch to reach down and brush them to the side.

"Hey, I uh need to go to the kitchen," he points his thumb behind him, "I'll be back."

"Alright," Copter watches Kimmon's tall figure amble towards the living room to where the couch is and he turns around to make his way to the kitchen. He flicks the light on, squinting his eyes as he shuffles his way over to the counter. His hand trails along the cool tiles until he finds what he's looking for.

He reaches for the one vial that he left on the counter earlier that day, hours before Kimmon had showed up. It had taken him three tries to make sure he had it right -- down to the right color and sweet smell that Dao had underlined in her instructions. He had planned on baking something for Kimmon to eat, but he's never been good at that sort of thing. There wasn't any point in doing that now, not when Kimmon's here.

Copter holds it out before him, twisting it around in the air and watches the lustrous liquid meander along the glass. He had been a little relieved when the liquid sparkled in his last try, a marker for him to know he correctly made it.

Breathing out a shaky sigh, he closes his fingers over it, the cool glass turning warm in his palm. Copter knows he has to give it to Kimmon now -- he couldn't let this go on any longer, not when there are so many other outside factors that could be affected by this. He chews on his bottom lip, trying not to start crying in the middle of the kitchen and squeezes his eyes shut, "Ok. Ok. I can do this, it'll be ok. It'll be ok," he mutters to himself.

Taking a deep breath, he walks out of the kitchen.

Kimmon's already lying on the couch, holding his phone above him and his other hand under his shirt as he idly scratches his belly. He looks soft and relaxed and Copter wants to curl up into the nook of his arm. The lamp is left off, leaving the room in a peaceful darkness. However, the full moon is bright enough to cast her blue-ish glow into the room and Copter can make out Kimmon's profile.

"Got something for you," he says, without any prelude, as he walks towards him.

"O?" Kimmon drops his phone onto his chest and he smiles, "A gift?"

Copter holds out the small vial towards Kimmon, "Here."

Kimmon tilts his head, scrutinizing it and he looks confused, "Another potion? But I took it already."

"It's to make sure the first potion works. Like a backup," Copter keeps his face still as possible, hoping nothing in his expression gives it away.

And Kimmon, sweet Kimmon, nods with trust in his eyes and takes the vial from Copter's hand -- their fingers briefly touching, "Is it going to knock me out like the first one?" He sits up proper and inspects the rosy liquid inside, shimmering in the low light.

"No. Definitely not," Copter sits on the now empty space next to Kimmon and curls against the sofa cushions. It's warm from when Kimmon laid on it and Copter snuggles further into the warmth.

"It's very pretty," Kimmon remarks and pulls out the stopper, "Catch me if I do knock out," he says before tilting his neck back and bringing the vial up towards his lips. The liquid slides down the glass in slow motion and then all at once into his mouth.

There's no going back now and Copter watches in anticipation to see if any magical changes would occur. The pink flash of light appears, glowing around Kimmon's head like a halo for a few seconds before it dissipates. He wonders if this is when Kimmon forgets, but he recalls that it did take a while before Kimmon felt the effects of the spell.

Kimmon licks his lips to catch the stray drops that smeared on them and smacks them together, "It's a lot sweeter than the other one. That one kind of tasted like toothpaste bleh," he leans forward to place the vial to the table before them and sits back on the couch with a sigh. He turns to face Copter with hooded eyes, leaning his elbow against the back cushion. Copter does the same and they both stare at each other for a while. Kimmon gives him a fond smile and curls his hand around Copter's, "Let's go on a real date tomorrow. We don't have work after all."

"Where would you take me?"

"Mmm...somewhere romantic. Like an arcade. Or the movies. Erm. Wait, what about the aquarium? Then we'll have to eat. Maybe to a night market. I'd take you to a fancy restaurant, but they rarely give you any food," he frowns, "Actually all of these involve a lot of money. Hmm...you know what? I'll start the date by cooking something for you at my place."

Copter wistfully smiles at the thought of this hypothetical date, "And then?"

"Then we'll play games in my room for hours and end it with a kiss. A real one."

"Wow, how romantic," Copter snickers into the couch. Kimmon giggles along and then yawns, removing his hand from Copter's to cover his mouth, "Sorry. Feeling a lot sleepier than I expected," he blinks at Copter with bleary eyes. Copter's heart sinks.

"It's late after all."

"You should go back to your room. You don't need to stay with me."

"It's fine. I want to be with you."

Kimmon reaches out to stroke Copter's hair, "Do you want to sleep with me here then?"

Copter shakes his head, squishing his cheek against the soft cushion. He closes his eyes to the soft rhythm of Kimmon's fingers dancing on his cheek.

"O, so you're just going to watch me sleep?" Kimmon teases and pokes his face, "I'll still be here you know. Not like I'm going anywhere anytime soon."

"Hm. Something tells me you'd like that."

"Har har, only for you though," there's fingers cupping his chin and he finds Kimmon closer to him now, his eyes roaming around Copter's face. The look in his gaze is only something Copter can describe as adoration and his breath is taken away by it.

Kimmon's mouth curves up, "Thank you."

"For what?"

"Taking care of me. Letting me love you."

Copter's bottom lip trembles and his eyes fill with tears. He swears his heart could swallow him whole and he can't stop the sob that comes out.

"O no Copter," Kimmon's thumb wipes the tears that fall.

"N-no, I'm happy. I love you," he says back, his voice overcome with emotion. He can't take how Kimmon's staring at him and he rushes forward, throwing his arms around Kimmon's neck into a hug. Kimmon lets out a noise of surprise but he hugs Copter back, "I really do. Don't forget me," he whispers, unable to stop himself.

Kimmon laughs, his breath puffing against Copter's ear, "Why does it sound like you're saying goodbye and leaving me?"

Copter tucks his head into Kimmon's neck, "Please."

"Hey, I would never," Kimmon tightens his arms around Copter, rubbing a hand up and down his back, "But if by some weird accident I do and I end up like that lady in that one American movie, just tell me our love story every morning with a video."

He's joking and Copter hiccups out a wet laugh against his shoulder.

If only.

Copter shuts his eyes, firmly holding onto Kimmon and trying to burn everything about tonight into his memory -- how Kimmon's lips felt near his mouth and the heat of them on his cheek, how warm Kimmon's breath was against his ear as he whispered how they were made to be, the feel of Kimmon's fingertips on his chin, the firm muscles of Kimmon's back under his hands. And most important, the way his eyes looked at Copter, filled with a tender love that he's never experienced before in his previous relationships. Copter knows all of that is due to the spell and it's why a part of his heart is breaking even though he still wants to cherish every moment.

Kimmon yawns again and Copter sits back, cradling his face between his hands, "Sorry. Dunno why I'm like this when I already slept," Kimmon's voice slurs with tiredness.

"Are you sure you don't want to sleep in my room?"

"Nah. Inappropriate. Not when I want to court you," he sleepily smiles, "Your mom would scold me."

Copter pushes Kimmon until he's lying on his back. His hair spreads across the throw pillow and the hooded look of his eyes make him look alluring and beautiful. Copter wishes he could take a photo, but instead he memorizes every feature and curve. There's also the urge to kiss him, press his lips against that softness, but he brings a hand up, petting Kimmon's cheek with benevolence and stroking his fingers along the areas he wants to kiss, "Sleep, Kimmon."

There are warm hands on his lower back, Kimmon's fingers languidly circling. He's trying his best to keep his eyes open, but they stay shut longer and longer, "Stay with me? Till I sleep?" he murmurs.

"I'll be here," Copter whispers.

He ends up falling asleep to the faint beat of Kimmon's heart against his ear.

\--

Copter is in the kitchen eating breakfast with his family when Kimmon finally wakes.

"Hey, Copter," Natty says as she takes a seat at the table, empty bowl in hand, "I just saw Kimmon waking up right now," she nods her chin in the direction of the living room.

"O."

He had told them earlier that he had administered the potion to Kimmon last night after he woke up from his deep sleep, avoiding to mention their late night slash early morning rendezvous. Copter's sure they would scold him for manipulating the situation, but it's a raw memory he wants to keep for himself.

Copter places his chopsticks over his bowl and clutches the edge of the table, pushing his chair back, "I'll be back. Need to make sure he's alright from the potion."

His mother rubs the back of his arm, "Tell him to come eat with us if he wants."

He nods and shuffles his way to the living room, dragging his feet and dreading what he'll find. He knows Dao said Kimmon's memory would be affected, but what if it wasn't? What if he did remember and expressed disgust?

Copter's sure he wouldn't, but who knows?

He can see the broad expanse of Kimmon's back, his shirt all wrinkled from sleep and he's hunched over with his face in his hands. Copter stills at the entrance, wondering if the antidote didn't work or if there was a new side effect. He doesn't want to face this, but his mouth opens before he can stop.

"Kimmon?"

He jumps a bit, startled at the interruption, and turns to Copter, "O hey man."

"Hey."

Copter observes him, watching for any signs of change.

Kimmon's face doesn't reveal anything, staring back at Copter with an open, friendly smile. He's not spouting out any declaration of love or giving him that starry eyed look. Copter didn't realize how he easily got used to that and how much of a stark contrast it is to a Kimmon not in love with him.

"You look like you had a good sleep," Copter remarks, unsure of what to say.

"Huh. Now that you mention it, I did," Kimmon runs a hand through his hair and nods to himself, "Like I slept for a couple of days. I feel well rested. That sleeping potion you gave me helped."

Copter sharply sucks in a breath.

"What?"

"Yea," he moves to swing his legs to the side, stretching his arms above him and letting out a satisfied groan, "That vial you gave me last night? Guess sleeping over at your place was good for me and my insomnia."

Copter's trying to understand what's happening. He had assumed Kimmon's memories of the past few days would be wiped away, but apparently only certain things are affected by it.

He stares down at the shiny, marbled tiles. If he looks closer, he can see his somber face reflecting right back, "How are you feeling?"

"Um. I didn't get drunk, did I? I think I would know," Kimmon chuckles to himself.

"Nah, you're cool. No drinking at all," Copter twists the bottom of his shirt, winding his fingers into it, "You want to eat breakfast with us?"

"Your parents won't mind?"

"Of course not. My mom insisted on it."

"Aw. Sure she doesn't want me to adopt me into the family yet?" Kimmon teases and stands up from the couch, "Ok. Just let me wash my face at least. I probably look gross," he pats Copter's shoulder and ruffles his hair before leaving. Copter shuts his eyes at how Kimmon's fingers feel passing through his hair.

When Copter steps back to where everyone is eating, they all turn to look at him with curiosity.

"He's in the bathroom," he takes a seat, feeling their stares boring into him, "He'll be here in a bit," and stuffs his mouth with rice. They're quiet for a moment and he knows his sisters are bursting to ask.

Natty huffs, "Well? Did it work?"

Copter swallows the food with difficulty and nods.

"But he doesn't remember," he mutters.

Before anyone can react to that revelation, Kimmon steps in and makes his presence known, greeting good mornings to Copter's parents and sisters. His sisters attempt to straighten their faces into a semblance of normalcy as they say hello to Kimmon, while his parents keep their faces neutral -- as if they weren't surprised by it.

He stares at his bowl with a blank stare until he feels the chair next to him move and Kimmon casually pats his back, "Wow, everything looks delicious. It's been a while since I've eaten a proper breakfast."

Copter's mother chides at him for his unhealthy eating habits and he waves it off, "The life of someone who lives alone with no one to care for him," he jokes.

Copter stabs his chopsticks into the yolk, breaking the cooked film apart and the yellow liquid spills out over the white rice.

There's a peaceful chatter between Kimmon and the rest of them. He doesn't join in and he's sure his mother notices how reticent he's being, but she doesn't mention it. Kimmon doesn't seem to realize, commenting on how busy the following week will be for them regarding their work and moving on to ask View about her job. Copter's barely listening in, focused on finishing his meal. Everything around him is fuzzy and the numbness of everything is catching up to him ready to transform into something explosive.

His thoughts are interrupted when Kimmon claps a hand on his shoulder, "Thank you for the meal," he says to Copter's parents as he stands up, "But, I need to head home and charge my phone. I'm sure I have some missed calls."

"I'll see you out," Copter says and stands up trying to put distance between himself and Kimmon's hand. He can hear Kimmon saying his cheerful goodbyes and everyone telling him to be well. His hand clutches onto the door knob, the cool metal firm in his tight grip. The only thought running through his mind is that he wants Kimmon out right the fuck _now_ before he starts to lose it. He's barely restraining the chaos and confusion that's accumulating inside his chest.

An arm is thrown around his shoulder, "Thanks for putting up with me last night," Kimmon shoves his feet into his sneakers and nods at Copter, grinning up at him, "Ah, I'll text you later, maybe we can game?"

"Yea," Copter attempts a smile, but it feels pasted on, "Maybe."

"Cool," Kimmon gives him a one arm hug, "Bye, I'll see you."

Copter closes the door on Kimmon as soon as he steps out. He doesn't bother heading back to the kitchen and locks himself in his room for the rest of the day.


	8. Chapter 8

Copter likes to think that he's fairly mature for his age. It's praise he gets often from his peers and those older whenever they comment on his emotional maturity since he's been young.

But once in a while, he'll switch it off and not care.

This is one of those times.

He finds it not too difficult to avoid Kimmon, especially when Bas is there as the middle man. Bas, of course, is oblivious to it and returns the affection back when Copter hangs onto him during their public events. It only drives the point home for Copter that Kimmon is no longer under the spell when Bas kisses him on the mouth and there's no jealous streak in sight. It's as if he's never been, acting the same as before -- Kimmon teases them about it, feigning his hurt of being the third wheel or how Copter's abandoned him to the fans, who eagerly lap up the fan service.

Whenever they're getting their makeup and hair done, Copter stuffs his earphones in and manages to avoid speaking or listening to Kimmon's rambling. In the dance studio, Copter would busy himself with the choreography or help others. He does try to manage an answer every once in a while with "mhmms" and "yeas" so Kimmon wouldn't be suspicious. The thing is, Kimmon's such a social butterfly and surrounds himself with others that he doesn't seem to notice the distance that Copter put between them.

The fact that Kimmon hasn't noticed is both infuriating and a relief.

Of course, there are hiccups to his plan when they have photo shoots and they're forced to be photographed together without Bas. Copter is a professional though, pretending that his skin isn't burning whenever Kimmon wraps his arms around him and recalling the night Kimmon hugged him close, whispering how they're meant to be. He doesn't say a word to Kimmon during them, only focusing on the task at hand and walks off as soon as they're done.

But sometimes, he'll find his eyes drawn toward Kimmon's figure when he walks by or when his loud voice reverberates from across the room. How can he not? It's during those moments that Copter nearly gives up his determination to keep Kimmon away until his broken heart is put together and healed.

That aside, it's working out well. All Copter has to do is to keep this up for the rest of his life until he retires.

\--

"Hey."

Copter stills. Shit, he thought Kimmon had already left, "What uh....what are you still doing here?" he zips his bag, roughly yanking the zipper across the teeth.

"Wanted to talk to you."

"Ok, well. You did, so I'm gonna go," Copter slings the strap over his shoulder and turns to leave, staring at the ground to avoid Kimmon's eyes. Of course, it doesn't go that way -- there's a hand that stops him, grazing his shoulder.

Kimmon spins him around and Copter's met with the distress all over his face. He looks hesitant, chewing on his lower lip.

"Did I-- did I do something? I'm sorry if I fucked something up and now you're mad at me. I swear, I never told anyone about your mag--"

"It's nothing, it's fine," the agitation is building up in Copter's chest and he looks away. His fingers tighten around the strap of his bag, nails digging in.

"So it is something?"

" _No_."

"Copter."

"It's _nothing_ ," Copter snaps and shoves Kimmon's hand off his shoulder. The hurt expression on Kimmon's face-- he can't look at it and focuses on the curve of Kimmon's shoulder, "My mom's waiting and you're a waste of my time."

He hears a sharp intake of breath and can't help but look up.

Kimmon rarely cries. Copter's only seen him cry twice in all the time they've known each other, aside from when he did under the spell -- he's witnessed Kimmon vent and yell in anger a lot more. So seeing the sheen of wetness in his eyes and a tear cross his cheek is a shock to Copter's system.

"I-- I...I'm leaving now," he stammers and rushes out of the studio, leaving Kimmon behind and all alone.

\--

He's curled up in his bed, having woken up from his afternoon nap some time ago. He'd been unable to sleep the past week and had contemplated making another sleeping draught. But he ran out of certain herbs and the shop is too far out of the way from home, so he's been dealing with the sleepless nights.

It hits Copter that he's treating this like a break up to a relationship that never happened. He remembers how heartbroken he was after his first break up. He had felt like he was dying, but at least he was able to say goodbye and have a definite end. But here, there were no goodbyes to spell the end of a relationship that never existed. Just a magic spell that erased the potential to everything away, leaving Copter alone and grasping at nothing. Like the air was taken from his lungs and he's left reeling from the gap that Kimmon left in his heart.

It fucking sucks.

Fuck Kimmon.

There's a knock and he peeks his head out of his blanket down to see his mother standing at his open door. She's holding a plate of _kluay kaek_ and Copter can smell the dense oiliness coming from it, "You didn't come down when I called for you to eat some," she walks in and places the plate on the corner of his desk, before sitting on his bed. He sits up, his arms a little cold now that his blanket is no longer covering him, "Sorry Mom, I was sleeping. Thank you."

She doesn't leave, silently staring at him with an inquisitive look. He looks down at his bent knees, trying his best to avoid her eyes and he feels gentle fingers stroke his unkempt locks, "Are you feeling alright?"

"Yea."

"My baby," her voice is so soft that his chest throbs with an ache. Copter's lip quivers and he shuffles forward to lean his head against her shoulder like all the other times before when he was younger. She continues to pet his hair and he closes his eyes at the gentle caress, the scent of her flowery perfume wafting to his nose, "Do you forget how well I know you?"

"I'm fine, I've just been tired this week and it's catching up to me."

"Mmm...does it have to do with Kimmon?"

"No."

There's a heavy sigh, "You've been avoiding him at work."

Of course, she figured that out. She's been there at every event, every photo shoot he's had -- he shouldn't be surprised that she would have noticed, "I'm not," he mutters, hoping that it would be the end of that.

"Copter," she implores, "I'm sure Kimmon's noticed how you've ignored him. He asked me how you were doing even though you two just had a shoot right before and it was because you barely spoke a word to him."

He thinks of how he last left Kimmon a few days ago and the devastated look on his face, the tears that fell from his eyes. It unlocks something in his chest and Copter gasps, a sob ripping out of him. He uncontrollably weeps, covering his face with his hands. The loss of _what if_ and _maybe_ too much for him to handle.

She makes shushing sounds, hugging him close and it makes his crying worse.

"I did something bad Mom."

"What was it? I'm sure it's not as bad as you believe it to be."

The tears won't stop pouring out and he rubs his face harder against the soft cotton top she wears, "That night. When he woke up after drinking my sleeping potion, he asked if the antidote worked and I--" he swallows, unable to voice out what he did.

She slowly lifts his head up, cradling his face, "Did you tell him it worked?"

He nods and shuts his eyes, not wanting to see the disappointment in hers.

"O Copter. Why?"

Copter shrugs and his mother wipes the tears from his cheeks, "I couldn't help it. I wanted to experience being with him for a little bit. Just once. I know, _I know_ I shouldn't have."

She doesn't say anything, but brings his head to her shoulder again.

"How am I ever going to get over him?" his sobs are hurting his throat and the ache is wrapped as a vice around his head, "Mom, it hurts." he wraps a hand around his throat. There's a tightness in there and he finds it impossible to breath, like his lungs are compressing, "I told him I was in love with him. I figured it was my chance to get everything out. But I wish I never said anything at all. He doesn't remember and I knew he wouldn't but--" he heaves in a deep breath and she holds him closer, her hand rubbing up and down his back in a comforting way. She kisses his temple.

It takes him back to his one night of indulgence when Kimmon's warm lips skimmed along his cheek and near his mouth, leaving a stain that Copter can't wash away.

Copter eventually calms down and pulls back to wipe his still wet cheeks. They feel swollen and stiff and his mother hands him a tissue, "Thank you."

She looks at him with plaintive eyes and pets his hair, her fingers tickling his ear, "I didn't realize you've been feeling this way and how much pain you were in. I'm so sorry you felt you couldn't tell me."

"It's not your fault," he murmurs, bringing the tissue to his nose.

"I'm your mother," she sighs and there's tinge of remorse behind it, "I wish there's a way for me to take your pain away."

"Is there a spell to help me forget my feelings?" Copter says in an attempt to be lighthearted. She lets out a melodic laugh and brushes his bangs out of his face, "Of course not. No magic can take away or conjure up true human emotion and pain like that, no matter how skilled a witch is."

Copter shakily exhales, "Dao um...told me that her spell brought out feelings that were already there."

She frowns and presses her lips together in disapproval, "I wouldn't believe her. But even if she may be right, Kimmon still has someone in his life, Copter. Someone he's committed to. You can't interfere with that."

"I-- I know. Just wishful thinking," his fingers shake as he folds the crumpled tissue into a square.

"Copter," she slips her hand around his, squeezing it, "You will find someone someday who will amaze you and love you back."

He shrugs.

From experience, Copter knows his feelings may ebb away, but he's not sure if it ever would with Kimmon. Someday, it won't feel like a dull scab that's being forced open over and over again whenever he's reminded that Kimmon will never be his.

"Tell me this then. Do you miss the Kimmon from under the spell or do you miss Kimmon?"

"I--" Copter pauses and frowns, trying to parse through his emotions, "Of course I miss Kimmon. I miss talking to him and joking around with him. I miss being able to call him for advice. I miss how simple it was before this stupid spell because even if I loved him then, he wasn't in love with me. And that's been taken from me and it's _unfair_ ," his voice breaks at that and he rubs the tissue over his tears, "And now it hurts too much to be around him and I thought disconnecting would help," he lets out a tremulous scoff, "But I miss him so much more than I realize."

"Then isn't your friendship worth it? It might not be what you want, but is that worth losing forever?"

\--

Copter peers over the metal front gate into Kimmon's house. He can see Kimmon's black car and his motorcycle parked under the attached carport, indicating that he's possibly home. He breathes out a sigh of relief at that. It's the first time he's been here -- Kimmon's home is a moderate size, painted in different shades of blue and gray with a white trim around the windows and roof. There's some greenery in the front, planted in small ceramic pots that are scattered across the pavement. It's modest and very Kimmon.

Taking a deep breath, he presses the circular doorbell that's on the cement column in front of him. He barely can hear it ringing throughout the house.

A light turns on above the car and he hears Kimmon before he sees him, the echo of his sandals slapping against the floor. Kimmon pops up from the side of his car, his passive look turning into one of shock when he sees Copter and he runs forward to the front gate in haste, "Copter? Wha-- when did you get here?Wait _,_ how did you get here?"

"My driver dropped me off."

"You should have told me you were coming over," Kimmon slides the lock of the gate and pushes it open to the side, the metallic wheels grating, "What would you have done if I wasn't here? It's dark and it would have been inconvenient for your driver to bring you all the way here if I was out," he scolds.

"Um. Yea, I might have waited outside. I don't know," Copter shrugs and looks up at him, "But we're both here now, so do these hypotheticals matter?"

"Does your mom know you're here?"

"Yea, of course."

Kimmon's frown deepens and he folds his arms over his chest.

Copter scuffs his sandals against the concrete, observing the tiny square patterns in it, "So can I come in? I want to talk, but don't feel like you have to. I know I showed up unexpectedly."

Kimmon huffs out a breath, "You came all the way over here, of course you can come in. Why would I turn you away?"

"I've been a dick...and awful to you."

"Yea. You have."

Copter licks his chapped lips. Kimmon's staring at him with an impassive look and he can't read it at all. He knows for this friendship to be repaired, he has to push through it and it might as well be out here.

"I'm really sorry. For ignoring you and saying you were wasting my time. You'd never-- you're never that. You're my best friend and you didn't deserve the shit I did to you. There was a lot going on in my head, but I don't have an excuse for anything, I was being an asshole. I um...I don't expect you to forgive me, but I promise to be better. To do better," he says, hoping his sincerity is felt.

Kimmon sharply exhales and turns away, chewing on his lower lip. Copter looks down. He wonders if he should call his driver again; he probably hasn't driven very far. He can hear his mother's voice in his head telling him to stay put and see this through, so he's resolved to wait it out. But Kimmon's not saying anything and Copter wonders if he should get on his knees to beg for it.

"I want to eat ice cream," Kimmon says out of the blue and Copter stares at him in confusion. Copter thought he had gotten used to Kimmon's weirdness, but of all things he expected him to say, it was _not_ that, "You in the mood for it?"

"Uh. Alright?"

"Come on," Kimmon's mouth quirks up and he reaches out to grab onto Copter's hand, dragging him past the gate, "Let me get my keys and wallet, then we'll go."

\--

The drive to wherever Kimmon is taking them is silent, aside from Kimmon humming to the pop song on the radio and tapping his fingers along the rim of the steering wheel. He's in a good mood and Copter is, well, Copter is confused. He stares outside, watching the surroundings turn less suburban and more urban as the lights turn brighter and the noises outside become livelier. He can see Kimmon's reflection on his side of the window, his mouth in an upturned smile as he starts to croon.

It's not that Copter doesn't want to see Kimmon smile, but he had expected a bit more of a reaction to his apology than whatever this is. But it's also Kimmon and he decides that maybe it's easier to go with his flow than try to fight it.

Copter's so deep in his thoughts that he doesn't notice they've arrived until the perky melody is shut off. Copter blinks out of his daze. Kimmon pulls his keys out with a flourish, twirling the metal ring around his finger before slipping it into his pocket. He turns to Copter in brimming excitement, "Ok ok, let's go! You'll like it, trust me."

The front facade of the shop is black and modern with clear windows that display a black inked mural. Copter squints his eyes as he tries to decipher it and Kimmon pushes him along to the side entrance. The door opens to a simple hallway, one side being of the mural and the other of the windows. It leads to a small, opened window and Copter can see into the mini kitchen where a worker is emptying out the fridge. A straightforward menu is hung next to the window, written in blocked English letters -- the flavors have outlandish names and some of them Copter can't make sense of. To the other side of the window is the wooden door that leads to outside.

"This place is...really tiny."

"Yea, but the ice cream is amazing. I came here months ago and I can still imagine the taste of it," Kimmon's eyes are closed as he happily sighs, lost in the memories of his taste buds.

"You know, I'll be disappointed if it doesn't live up to your hype."

Kimmon makes an affronted sound, about to say something, but someone pops up from behind the window, "Hello! Let me know if you have any questions on the flavors."

"Thank you," Kimmon politely says to her and once she's gone, he whips his head towards Copter, "You're going to have to help me with some of these flavors, it's all new and they're all in _English_ ," he says this as if it's a curse word and Copter laughs, turning towards the menu.

Copter ends up choosing the special of the day made up of milk chocolate malt and after hemming and hawwing, Kimmon selects one that has honey and longan, "I'll pay for it, don't worry," he says, taking out his slim wallet from his back pocket.

"I can pay for myself."

"Just think of it as a treat and I'm celebrating that you're not mad at me anymore."

"I wasn-"

Kimmon pushes him forward when the worker is back asking if they are ready.

They end up sitting outside due to the lack of a seating area in the ice cream shop, crouched against the wall. The ice cream is delicious of course, all light and creamy -- the sweetness floods his tongue and he quickly spoons the scoop into his mouth.

"Shit, this is good," he mutters after eating almost half of his ice cream.

"I _know_ ," Kimmon is looking rather smug, "Listen to me from now on Copter. There's no use in arguing with me."

Copter pushes his shoulder and Kimmon nearly topples over, cackling as he grabs onto the wall, "Dick!" Kimmon cries out and puts on an exaggerated pout, waving his cone at Copter, "You almost made me drop my ice cream!"

"I'll buy you the next one," Copter says back, feeling his mouth curve up into a grin. Kimmon lights up and pokes at his dimple, "Aw, I haven't seen that in such a long time."

"My dimples don't disappear Kimmon. They're just there."

"Yea, but your dimpled smile hasn't been directed at me in a while," Kimmon adjusts his legs until he's crouched in a more comfortable position. There's a forlorn look in his eyes, "I've only seen your dimples when you were upset with me lately."

Copter knows he's referring to the last time they spoke and all the other times he coldly spoke to Kimmon. The ice cream cup in his hand feels cold despite the napkin wrapped around it.

"I'm sorry."

"I know, it's ok. We all have bad days. Or weeks."

Copter presses the plastic spoon into the ice cream, swirling it around, "Why aren't you mad?"

"What's the point in being mad? But I wasn't mad, just confused. And maybe a little bit sad," Copter thinks that's an understatement when he recalls how Kimmon looked when Copter walked out. Kimmon shuffles over until their shoulders are lined up and he taps his ice cream cone against Copter's cup, "But I'm happy you're here now and that's what matters."

Copter tilts his head up to look at him. Kimmon has a kind smile on his face. There's stubble growing in already, something that Copter can't help but envy just a tad, and his tousled hair gives him a relaxed look. It's clear to Copter that he isn't angry at all and probably didn't feel the need to forgive Copter for anything.

And Copter realizes that he missed this, this part of their friendship that he's been running away from -- that steadfastness of Kimmon's loyalty and his presence as Copter's rock. Even before he fell in love, maybe from the first day they met, Copter knew there was something special about their friendship and there was nothing that could replace and break the bond they had.

His eyes begin to well and he yanks out the napkin from his hand, pressing it to his eyes. It's cool from being wrapped around his ice cream cup and he whimpers in an attempt to keep his crying silent.

"O Copter," there's a supportive hand that rubs along his back.

"I'm an asshole," he muffles out, holding the napkin to his face with shaky hands.

"No, no you're not. You said you were going through a lot."

"That doesn't make it okay."

"It doesn't, but I've forgiven you already. Don't think too hard about it. I'm not going to drop our friendship over something like that. I'll always be here. You and I are forever, ok?"

Copter sniffs and wipes his nose, then bunches the napkin into his hand. He nods, "Yea, ok."

"Good. Now finish your ice cream before it melts."

Copter laughs, his throat still clogged up but he feels a little lighter, "Ok _dad_."

"Ew," Kimmon sticks his tongue out and brings his cone up to his mouth, biting the edges of it, "Mmm...now this is the best part of ice cream," he quips as he continues on munching the cone.

"Really."

"Yea, just the crunchiness of it in your ears," he happily wags his head, shivering his whole body as it thrums with happiness, "Bliss," and he tips to his side again, swinging his hand out to the pavement beneath him to balance himself, "Oops."

Copter cackles at his antics, "Weirdo," he scrapes away the last bit of gooey ice cream at the bottom of his cup. He's sad it's all gone and sighs, putting it to the side on the ground next to him. The road in front of them is becoming quieter with the evening turning late and the street has slowly gotten darker as the stores close for the night.

He can sense Kimmon's stare on him and glances over. Kimmon's already finished the last of his cone, his face in between his hands, "What?"

Kimmon gives him a small smile, "Nothing, just thinking," he puts a casual arm around Copter with a sigh and ruffles his hair into a mess. Copter yelps at that and swipes at his hand, "Ew, no! You touched the ground with that hand!" 

"O yea?" Kimmon teases and vaults at him.

They both lose their crouched sitting positions and fall backwards to the sidewalk, guffawing at how ridiculous this has become. Kimmon hugs him tighter and his laughter is breathless in Copter's ear.

fin.


End file.
